Anytime you need a friend
by Autumnsonlyone
Summary: Spike was out for a jog. What happened? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

Anytime you need a friend:

Author's Note:

Well Considering that I have become hooked on Flashpoint, I have been listening to music, and reading a LOT of fan fiction about them, and besides really liking Ed, I have fallen hopelessly for Spike. and I agree that Spike doesn't have nearly enough Fan Fiction on this site about him. So I am writing one. Enjoy. Please read and review. I don't own Flashpoint- I wish but I don't. Don't sue me-I'M POOR! Also this Fic started Clamoring for me to write it at 1 in the morning. So here I sit writing it.

Mike "Spike" Scarlatti was going for a jog around town, to clear his head before work. He didn't have a whole lot of physical strength, not like Ed or Sam, but he still worked out as much as he could. He had taken Ed's advice and started Jogging in an effort to build up his Stamina. After three weeks of doing it, he had noticed a change in his all around mile time. It had gone from something like 45:34 to 30:00 flat. Spike was really proud of himself.

He also noticed that if he ran while listening to music, it lightened his mood and also gave warring thoughts a chance to duke it out in his mind safely, instead of getting angry like some team members did, or going to a bar every single night and getting drunk. It had become his haven. The refuge from the thoughts that bothered him. A way to process things and Spike liked that.

Spike was jogging along rocking out full volume to a random song that Lou had put on his Ipod the other night when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He stopped jogging in order to Answer it.

"Yeah, Spike here."

"Spike, it's Ed. The team is going out to get a drink or two after work. You in?" Spike thought about it a minute. Just then a curious situation caught his eye. There looked like a young Girl, approaching the railing at a quite determined pace. Spike spoke into his phone.

"Ed. I'm out. I am standing on the bridge of Scotchdale and I think we have a possible jumper. I repeat, we have a jumper. I'm the only one here Ed. What do I do?" Ed was all business immediately.

"Spike I want you to try and talk her down. I have absolute faith in you Spike. I know you never really get a chance to negotiate, But remember what you were taught in the academy. We are rolling now. Bringing your gear with us. Call if you need to." Ed hung up and Spike was left listening to a dial tone.

Spike had NEVER talked anyone down before. not an actual scene anyway. The last time he did was in the academy. He couldn't remember where to start. He pulled his headphones off and tucked them away into his pocket. He would give it a try. He approached the railing of the bridge. He could see the girl straddling the railing looking downward.

"Um, Hi there. Nice weather." The girl startled and turned toward him clutching the railing and holding up a hand in front of her.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer! Just stay back!" Spike held up his hands at his sides. He stopped where he was.

"My name is Mike. My friends call me Spike. I'm a member of the Strategic Response Unit. I don't want to hurt you. I was just passing through on my daily jog and saw you sitting there. I only wanted to make sure you were ok." A curt nod was his only answer.

"I'm fine. I Just enjoy sitting here. You can leave now." Spike stayed where he was. The girl sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. Spike hid a smile, his neices were the same way. That would put the girl at approximately 15-16.

"I can't do that. My morals won't allow me to walk away from a young lady in distress. That and my parents would beat my ass if they found out that I could have done something but didn't. I only want to help you in whatever way I can. But I can't walk away from here, knowing that you are in distress and that I could have possibly helped. Can I ask your name?" The girl just sat there not answering. Spike spied a column next to the railing. It was roughly 6 feet away from where the girl was sitting.

"Is it ok if I sit on the railing against the column? It's just that I've been running for awhile. I'm getting a little tired. I won't touch you, I just want to rest." The girl moved a little further away and nodded. Spike sat down and relaxed, thanking the girl.

While he relaxed, he studied the girl. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was pretty. She was wearing a yellow shirt that had short sleeves. He could see bruises and cuts all over her arms. She had long pretty light brown hair. He took a sip of water from his water bottle. Just as he was about to offer her the extra water bottle in his bag, his phone rang.

"Yeah, This is Spike."

"Spike it's Ed. How are you doing?" Spike perked up.

"I don't think I'm doing so well Ed. I can't get a name, she doesn't seem interested in talking to me. I honestly feel like a failure. I'm not good at this like you and Greg are. How soon are you guys going to be here?" He could hear Ed laughing.

"Spike, We have been here for about 15 minutes. We've got a perimeter and everything. You were so focused on talking to the girl you didn't even notice us drive up. You're doing fine. You want an earwig to make it easier to talk to us?"

"No. Phone's good. I gotta go." Spike hung up. He put his phone in his pocket and looked at the girl.

"The rest of my team is here miss. They won't come any closer, and if they do, it will be to talk me. Is that alright with you?" The girl shrugged. Spike held out the bottle of water. The girl watched his movements like a hawk.

"Failure huh?" Spike was so startled that she spoke, that he dropped the bottle of water and it rolled away. The girl smirked. He looked at her and noticed that she had green eyes.

"What?" He asked stupidly. The girl actually laughed.

"You said on the phone that you feel like a failure. Why do you feel like a failure?" Spike decided he liked this girl. She seemed to have a very inquisitive nature about herself. Spike thought that he could put it to good use at some point.

"Because I'm not a negotiator. I'm just a tech guy on the team. Ed and Greg, my boss, they are way better at this. I've never actually talked anyone down from a ledge, or from killing hostages. I usually sit in the truck and do tech stuff. What do you know of failure?" The girl frowned and looked away.

'Shit!' Spike mentally berated himself. 'I shouldn't have gone there. Think, What would one of the others do.' He sat up straighter.

"I'm sorry. Like I said, it's my first time. I don't know the right words to say. But I'm trying. It would really help me if I knew your name. I mean, you know mine. I'd really like to know what to call you. I wonder if I could guess your name." The girl arched an eyebrow at him. Spike noticed that she had adopted his similar pose. Back against the column, comfortable, non active. That was very good, Spike decided.

"You have pretty brown Hair, nice Green eyes, Emily? No. What about Anna? Not that one. How about-"

"My name is Calassandra, Callie please." Spike nodded.

"That's a nice name. It fits you. I think-" Spike's phone vibrated again. He rolled his eyes.

"Do you mind if I answer my phone?" Callie shook her head.

"Yeah?"

"Spike, her name is Calessandra Sanchez. She's a runaway. Been gone about 6 months. We have her parents on route. You're doing great Spike. We are watching from a safe distance away."

"Boss. She has a lot of bruises and cuts on her arms. I'm not sure- Maybe I'm reaching where I shouldn't. But, I think you should hold off the parents. Just a weird off feeling I have right now. Is that ok?" Greg laughed gently.

"It's a good feeling Spike. You're reading her, and doing a great job. Tell me what you need Spike. You look like you are making a connection with her. Try to work on deepening that connection." Spike sighed into his phone.

"I don't know what I need. this is too much for me. I'm underestimating my strength. Why couldn't Ed have been the one who was out jogging?" Greg laughed heartily.

"Because Ed is a little bit of a bull in a china shop when it comes to talking someone down. And this girl needs compassion and caring. We are getting a psych profile on her coming in right now. " Spike hung up the phone. Callie looked at him.

"Why did you run away?" Callie scowled and turned back to the ledge. Spike hit himself in the forehead.

"I'm sorry. I told you I'm not good at this stuff. Hhhmm, How about you pick a topic. I don't have anywhere else that I would like to be right now." Callie nodded. Spike noted that she was reading him as he was reading her. He smirked.

"I don't what's safe to talk about. How about music? What kind do you-" A shout cut her off.

"Calessandra Marie Sanchez. Get off that ledge this minute! Do you hear me!" Callie started inching closer to the edge. Spike leaned forward ready to grab her if need be.

"DON'T! Callie, listen to me. Don't jump. Stay up here with me please. Those people will not come near you. Trust me. The rest of the team will keep them away, but you have got to level with me here. I have to ask, Where did all the bruises come from and the cuts? If someone did something to hurt you, we can protect you and make sure that person goes to jail. But we can't arrest or do anything unless I have a complaint." Spike took a deep breath.

"I'm betting that the bruises and the cuts are why you ran away. I'm also willing to bet that you and your parents don't get along all that great. Understandable. You're a young woman who wants to test her wings so to speak and be allowed freedom, but they won't let you because they don't think it's safe. My parents were the same way with my sister." Callie listened.

"What do I know of Failure? I'm not good enough for my parents. I'm too opinionated and stubborn. I refuse to yield when I know I'm right. I'm not about to take anymore shit lying down. I'm so tired that my mother tries to make me out to be something that I don't want to be. I'm tired of my father-" She cut herself off and turned away looking at the valley below, wiping a few tears away angrily. Spike scooted closer a little.

"Callie, What are you tired of with your father? You can tell me. I'm not going to lie to you. I promise. I have not lied to you yet, and I am not about to start. Ok? I am not going to lie to you. I won't judge you either if that's what you are afraid of. I can wait until you are ready to tell me. It's your call.

Sam watched Callie fight tears. He reached into his pocket and brought out the clean hanky that he kept there. He stretched his hand forth. Callie looked at him. He seemed nice enough. But then they all did in the beginning.

"Use it to wipe your tears. I won't touch you or grab you. And I am not going to force you to come down off of the ledge." Just then Spike's stomach growled audibly. Pink stained his cheeks. He looked at Callie embarressed.

"Sorry I haven't eaten in a while. What about you. Would you like something to eat or drink? I can call my boss and see if he will get a pizza delivered along with drinks. Or would you prefer a sandwich or something?" Callie seemed to consider his offer.

"I'd really like a couple slices of pizza. Extra Cheese, Sausage. If it's not too much trouble I mean." She said, biting her lip. Spike nodded his head eagerly. He picked up his phone and punched in a number.

"Hey Boss. I got a request." After they were finished talking, Spike hung up the phone. He looked at Callie who was looking at him.

"My boss said he would get the pizza on two conditions." Callie raised the eyebrow again.

"And they are?" Spike drew a deep breath.

"The first is that you come down off of the railing. And the second one is that you come down to SRU headquarters and talk to my boss down there. You wouldn't be under arrest. But we want to talk to you more. If you agree, there's a pizza and a soda waiting for you that will be delivered to SRU heaquarters." Callie mulled it over for a few minutes

"If I do, will my parents be there?" Spike shook his head. This seemed to comfort Callie considerably. She nodded.

"Will you be there?" Spike nodded.

"The whole team will be." The girl nodded again. Spike hopped off of the railing.

"Will you give me your hand Callie and let me help you off of the railing over to safety?" Callie reached out a hand until it touched Spike's. Startled she pulled it back, then reached it out again. Spike grasped her hand gently and pulled her towards him. Once she was on the ground, Spike pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you for coming down off the railing." As they started to walk, Callie dropped onto the ground. Spike squatted next to her, held his hand up to keep the team at a distance. He looked at Callie.

"I'm sorry. I'm so Sorry." Spike just looked at her.

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. Can you walk? I can carry you if you want." Callie started trembling, so Spike picked her up in his arms and started walking. He was startled when Callie poked him.

"Yes Callie?"

"He hits me. And abuses me. And he also touches me inappropriately." By this time they had gotten to the SRU Truck. Spike put her in the truck and climbed in after her, aware that Wordy sat on the other side of her, as was protocol. He was also aware that she scooted away from Wordy and closer to him.

"We will talk more about it at the house. Rest now, We got you." She drifted off to sleep and Wordy poked him in the shoulder.

"Yeah Wordy? What is it?"

"You did a hell of a job out there Spike. Good Job."


	2. Chapter 2

Anytime You need a friend:

Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Hi guys! I thought the story was finished in only one chapter but a couple people who reviewed said they hoped that I would continue it. So I am going to continue it! And the more I write, the more I fall in love with Spike. Thank you for the reviews so far. Enjoy

When they got to SRU Headquarters, Callie was still asleep, So Spike had Wordy help him slide her out of the truck, and he picked her up, and carried her inside. Once inside, Spike carried her straight into the Boss' office and laid her down on the couch, covering her with a blanket. He stood there looking at her for a moment, before asking Greg keep an eye on her. After Greg agreed, Spike nodded and turned to go take a shower, and get dressed for work.

Spike wanted to get to the locker room and into the shower before anyone stopped him because he desperately wanted to be alone. He was feeling weird, and slightly emotional. He wasn't sure what was going on with him that he felt so weird, but he wanted to get a grip on it before he faced everyone in the briefing room. He had like an hour before he had to be in the briefing room. He was lost in his thoughts when he ran smack into Ed.

"Whoa there! Just a minute Spike. What's your hurry? The shower isn't going to run away." Ed said, steadying him and then blocking him from taking another step. Spike stopped short and looked up at Ed.

"What Ed? Come on. I want to go take a shower. I stink, I have been sitting on a ledge for at least 3 hours, In the heat and my sweat from running. Callie is sleeping, and I'd like to get cleaned up before she wakes up. I know you guys are going to want to talk to her. I want to be there. You can't deny me that." Ed put his hands up.

"That's not why I stopped you Spike." Spike looked confused. He leaned against the wall, and noticed the whole team had come to surround him. Spike's first thought was that they had seen what was going on, and had come to start asking questions. Spike tried to play it cool in order to throw them off. He hoped he wasn't being too obvious.

"Then why did you stop me Ed?" Ed saluted him, the others following suit. Spike continued to look confused.

"You did a hell of a job out there today Spike. This was your first negotiation. And you had a save. I am- We all are so very proud of you Spike. You did good." Ed hugged him tightly. Spike looked embarressed and pushed Ed away.

"Come on knock it off you guys. I want to go shower. Beat it! Enough already." They all broke up laughing and Spike hurried into the lockerroom and grabbed a fresh towel. He hopped into the shower, setting a new record for getting cleaned up. He had just put on his boxers and his tshirt when Ed came into the locker.

"Hey Ed. What's up? Don't tell me that you had to go to the bathroom. You just did when we first

got back here. You want to tell me the real reason you just HAD to come in here. And don't use the old ' Oh, I forgot something' excuse' Sam used it the other day." Ed held his hands up in placation.

"No. I came in here to see how you were doing. You looked a little rough around the edges earlier and I remembered what it was like when I negotiated for the first time. It was nerve-wracking and scary as hell. When I finished the negotiation and was by myself in the lockerroom, I panicked. I had the worst panic attack that I had ever had in my life." Spike nodded for him to go on. Ed leaned against the locker while Spike finished getting dressed.

"I just want to make sure that you are ok. You look like you got the chance and did some heavy duty bawling in the shower. I respect that. I'm not going to say a thing to anyone so you don't have to worry." Spike nodded and tied his boots.

"Spike. Talk to me. I've been there, we've all been there. We can help. That girl, Callie. She's still alive because you opted out of drinks with the team and because you tried talking her down. You succeeded. You have such a haunted look in your eyes, It's got me a little concerned, because I recognize it and We want to help you." Spike nodded. Ed waited patiently.

"I'm ok. I just, I didn't know what I was doing. I was hoping so badly that you would come over and tell me to go back to the truck or something and take over the negotiation. Anything to get me out of there. I was so afraid that I was going to say the wrong thing and that she was going to jump and her life be over before it even really began." Ed remained silent. Spike continued, with barely taking a breath.

"But you didn't. You allowed me to make mistakes. You kept telling me that I was doing a good job. I didn't even know you guys had arrived until you said so over the phone. You know. I don't think that girl really wanted to kill herself. She wasn't looking for attention, but she was in pain, but not suicidal. Most people who are suicidal, don't want to be saved, they keep telling you to shut up, to leave them alone. I think once I showed her that I was harmless, she settled down and started talking. She reminds me of someone." Ed Laughed. Spike smiled.

"I know where you are coming from Spike. We all do. You could have ignored her and then where would she be? Probably dead. You were needed, and you stepped up. That's a true negotiator. Oh Greg wanted me to tell you that the girl is awake and that you are late. Actually we both are. Oops."

Spike and Ed finished talking for the time being and then hurried down the hall to the briefing room. When they got there, they didn't see Callie anywhere. The team was standing around. Greg saw them, and pointed to the window. Spike looked up.

Callie was standing at the window looking out with a wistful look on her face. Spike knew that look well. It was the look of wanting to be on the outside and enjoying life, but not being able to because you had messed up in some way. He remembered looking that way many times when he was younger.

"How long ago did she wake up Sarge? Did she eat anything yet." Sarge turned from watching Callie and addressed his younger team member.

"She woke up about 20 minutes ago. Seemed freaked when she saw all of us. She walked over to the window and stayed over there. She didn't appear to be a threat so we let her have her space. She hasn't eaten. Pizza is on it's way. I figured we could all have pizza while we talk. I'm actually glad you want to be such a big part of this. She sees you as the only safe person in this room. She doesn't trust us. But we will talk after the pizza gets here. How are you doing?" They had a quick conversation, and then Spike walked over to the window.

"Hey. How was your nap?" Callie looked over at him.

"Hi. It was ok. I'm kinda hungry though. I don't know these people. They make me nervous especially the bald one. " Spike threw his head back and laughed. The team looked on in amazement. Spike hadn't laughed like that since Lou had died. It was good to hear him laugh, they'd missed the sound. Spike took her hand.

"I will introduce you to them. They are my team. They are harmless. They won't hurt you, and they don't bite. But they will stand up for you if you're being hurt in any way, shape or form. You can count on them and trust them." Callie nodded, staying behind Spike.

"This is the team, This is Greg, He's our boss. nice guy. This is Sam, Ex military also a nice person. This is Jules. The only woman on our team. Lots of guts being on a team as the only girl. This is Kevin, but everyone calls him Wordy. He sat on the other side of you in the truck. and this is Ed. nice guy. Has a son about your age. Team this is Callie." Everyone said hi. Callie looked at Spike, fear and panic evident on her face. Everyone could see it. Greg took command.

"Ok, pizza is here. We got several different kinds Callie, Spike said that you liked extra cheese and sausage. I wasn't sure what you liked or didn't like in drinks either. So we got a couple different kinds. Ladies first. Jules, Callie you get yours and get settled." Everyone got their food and settled in their seats. As they ate, they talked about a variety of things.

Ed was telling him about this girl that his son Clark was interested in and Callie revealed that she knew Clark. That put her age at 14. Callie was warming up a little to Ed. Spike was glad. He was chewing on a pizza crust when Greg caught his eye. He knew it was time to talk. He just hoped that it didn't set Callie off and freak her out. He scooted closer to Callie.

"Callie. We need to talk now. You know that right? We need to talk about a lot of different things. Is that ok with you?" Callie nodded. Spike nodded and poured himself another glass of coke. Callie tucked her feet up underneath her.

"Callie where did the bruises and cuts come from? Please tell us." Callie shrugged. Spike leaned back and folded his arms. His brow furrowed in thought.

"That is bull Callie. I told you on that ledge that I was not going to lie to you. You told me some stuff when I was carrying you to the truck. I need you to tell all of us where the cuts and bruises came from. Please. You don't have to be alone any longer." Callie shook her head stubbornly. Spike nodded.

"I expected a little bit of resistance. I expected you to not want to talk to us. Just tell me why you don't want our help." Callie didn't answer. Spike frowned and looked at the other members of the team.

"You know, When I was a little bit younger than you Callie, I had the same problem. I seriously hated my parents. I was tired of them always pushing me around, telling me that I didn't know what was best for myself, telling me that I wasn't old old enough to do things. But what I really hated, was the fact that my father used to hit me." Jules said scooting her chair closer to Callie's chair. The team looked at Jules in Shock.

"That's right Callie. He never abused me. And by that I mean he never molested me. But he used to drink. He used to get so angry when he would drink that any excuse was good enough for him raise a hand, use a belt." Callie looked at Jules. Jules smiled.

"How did you get free? I assume that you got free because you're still here living." Jules smiled again and scooted closer.

"He got so drunk one night. And he was so angry. He had hit my mother and knocked her to the floor. I jumped on him and yelled and screamed at him. He threw me off and came at me with his belt. I jumped up and grabbed the bat I had been using for softball. I told him, that if he touched me again, if he hit or whipped me again, I would report him." Callie was about to fall off of her chair in anticipation. The guys too for that matter.

"He left that night. And came back six months later. Sober and clean. It took a lot of talking but he finally apologized to me and my mother. We have a much better relationship now." Jules reached for another slice of pizza and nibbled on it.

"Oh. Sounds great." Callie withdrew into herself nibbling on another slice of pizza. Spike sighed in quiet frustration. Greg signaled to Jules, Spike and Ed to stay and the others to go." As they got up to leave, They stopped.

"He hits me. He kicks me alot too. That's where the bruises came from. At least the ones you see. He also hurts me other ways too. Alot. I don't like it when he does." Spike nodded. He sat down and took Callie's hand.

"Would you feel better talking to Jules since she's a girl too?" Callie shrugged. Spike rubbed his head in irritation.

"I'm sorry ok? I am really sorry. I was told that if I ever told, he would send me back to the orphanage. I never want to go back there. But I guess I'm going to have to now, especially since they aren't going to want me anymore after this." No one said a word.

"If I go home today, he's going to hurt me more. I know. He promised that he would hurt me very badly. I don't want to hurt very badly. I don't want to hurt anymore." Spike nodded.

"Callie. This is very important. If you talk to us and tell us what your father does, We can arrest him if need be. But we need to know what he did." Callie stood up and yanked her shirt off. She was covered all over with bruises. She walked away from the table, and put her shirt back on, crying. Wordy slammed a fist on the table. Ed and Sam Swore. Jules covered her mouth in shock. Greg closed his eyes. Spike got up and went to Callie, and put his arms around her. Callie tried to push him away but he held on.

"WHY did you have to rescue me? Why couldn't you have just let me be? My life serves no purpose now damn you." She started hitting him in the chest, Spike held up a hand when the rest of the team started to come over to help get her off of him.

After a few minutes, Callie was exhausted. She just dropped to the floor and sat against the wall. Spike sat next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Just as she was about to speak, the was shouting at the front desk.

"We want to know where our daughter is. RIGHT NOW!"

Winnie the receptionist was trying to get them to sit down. "Sir, Ma'am, you will have to sit down and wait until I can get in touch with my Boss. He can help you. I can't give out information that I don't have. Nor am I allowed to even if I did have the information." The man stomped around while his wife sat, primly with her hands in her lap.

"Yes Winnie, what is it? We're kinda in the middle of a situation right now. You know that." Winnie pointed to the man and woman.

"Sorry Sir. These two people came in just a moment ago. Said they want to know where their daughter is immediately. I think they are Callie's parents." Greg nodded, thanked Winnie and walked over to them, offering his hand for a handshake to the father.

"Hi. I'm sergeant Greg parker. Please come this way." The wife stood up and followed her husband. They went into one of the other briefing rooms, shutting the door behind them, the team looking on in irritation at the father. Jules put her arm through the arms of the rest of the team trying to keep them from going in there and demanding answers.

"Please. Sit down." The husband remained standing. Greg raised an eyebrow and filed that information away.

"I want to know where Callesandra is, and I want to know right now." Just as Greg was about to speak, Spike buzzed in.

"Boss, Can I have a word with you please. I know you are in the middle of something, but it's important. It's about the case that we were just discussing." Greg excused himself.

"What is it Spike?" Spike was about to explain, when Callie walked right past them and into the room. They tried to stop her, but she slipped right past.

"Callie! What are you doing? Get back here!" Spike made another grab for her. Ed came running up to them.

"Slippery little thing. I tried to stop her. What is she doing?" The team gathered at the doorway watching. They were all armed and watching anxiously.

Callie strode in the room and just watched them for a minute. They looked so old. They were the only family she had ever truly known. Being given up the day she was born by her parents, Never knowing that she had been adpoted until she was 13. How could she do what she was about to do to them? She shook her head, getting a grip on herself.

"Hi." Her parents looked up. Her mother stood up and came over to her and embraced her. Callie hugged her back. Her father came over. Callie held up a hand.

"Do not come near me." Her father looked at her with a look of feigned surprise. He maintained his distance.

"Why Sweetie? Your mother and I only came here to get you and take you home. We want to stop for ice cream on the way home. What do you say." Callie poured herself another glass of pop. Spike could see her hand shaking badly.

"I don't want to go for Ice Cream, and I don't want to go home. At least not with you. No more of this, let's lead this perfect facade of how we are a perfect family but let's not let the neighbors know that I beat my daughter at night. Or that I molest her, and tell her it's her fault. No more." Her father take a step towards her, laughing nervously.

"Callie, please. What are you saying. I would never do that to you. I love you." Callie laughed at him, and noticed he was taking a couple steps closer.

"I'd rather you not come any closer, I'd really hate to punch you." Her father recoiled.

"I beg your pardon young lady? Just who do you think you are talking to here. I am not one of those hoodlum friends that you started running around with." He stopped nonetheless and Callie relaxed a bit. She sat in a chair and looked at him.

"Here are my demands, Dad. Listen carefully. You are not going to hit me again. You are not going to kick me again. You are not going to touch me innapropriately again. You are going to get out of my life. You are going to leave me alone. And you are going to jail. Consider this me reporting you. I'm done with you. If you were a father, you would have never touched me in the first place. If you were a father, you wouldn't have been raping me in my bedroom, while your wife lay sleeping in your bed thinking we were the perfect little family." Her father laughed.

"You see, this is what happens when you start to run wild. You start making up stories, you start being disrespectful, you start being a whore. Enough. do you understand me? Enough. You are coming home where we are going to discuss this in private. Do you understand me?" Callie started laughing.

"No. I'm not. You are going to jail. I am done with you. I am going to start looking for my birth family."She walked out of the room as team one swept in to arrest him.


	3. Chapter 3

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 3

The summer was coming to a close. The weather had started to turn a little rainy and a little chilly. It had been two months since Callie had had her adoptive father arrested. Since then, she had been placed in foster care again and had acquired the addresses of team one so she could write. They all missed her. She affected their lives so much in the five days that she'd been with them that they had secretly started searching for her Birth Parents, without telling her.

Spike missed her the most. In one of his letters, he had enclosed his phone number. And they talked every week. She wasn't living too far away from his parents and he had gone over to the foster home and set it up with her foster parents that he would take her Saturdays all day and Wednesdays after school, dropping her off at school on Thursday mornings. Her foster parents were alright with that.

Callie was enrolled in school, and doing really well. She seemed to have a real zest and thirst for her school work. Where at her old school, she was getting D's and F's, at her new school, she was getting straight A's. Spike was extremely proud of her. She also started taking self defense from the team and had gotten herself a babysitting job, watching Wordy's kids One night a week so he and his wife could have date nights where they went out without the kids. Wordy's kids really liked her.

Callie had gotten her hair trimmed, and went out bought some new clothes. She was getting tired of wearing raggy looking clothes and had begged Jules to go with her when she picked out clothes. She had told Jules absolutely no dresses or skirts, but had relented and bought one. She had bought new shoes and with a little help from Jules bought some makeup and other girl things.

One Wednesday, when Spike was scheduled to take her after school, he pulled up in one of the SRU trucks and searched for her. He spotted her coming out of the school doors, and stepped out of the vehicle. She had tear stains on her cheeks, and one of her hands was bleeding fairly badly. Spike grabbed the first aid kit, and had her sit down in the front seat and proceeded to clean her hand up and bandage it. After they were on the road, Spike looked over at Callie.

"We are going to have to go to the hospital and get that checked. You might need stitches. I called your foster parents. They said that I could keep you until Sunday. Is that ok with you?" Callie nodded. Spike looked at her confused. Callie had long gotten past the nodding stage where she just nodded instead of talked. Spike was a tad concerned.

"Do you want to talk about it Callie?" Spike asked taking in that her breathing was slightly erratic. Callie shook her head. He reached a hand over and took her pulse, it was a little rapid. And she seemed a little disturbed. He picked up the phone and dialed Ed.

"Hey Ed. It's Spike. I picked Callie up and I'm going to take her to the hospital. She came out of School with a pretty nasty cut on her hand and she's only nodding, she's not talking to me. Her pulse is a little rapid. but she's not sweating or anything else that would lead me to believe drugs. Just wanted to let you know. Have someone drive my car-" Callie cut him off.

"I am ok Spike. I cut my hand because a friend was fighting with someone and they had a knife pulled on them. I got in the middle because I didn't want my friend hurt. I thought I was doing the right thing. I'm not stupid enough to do drugs Spike. Look at who I hang out with. I hang out with members of SRU. I highly doubt I would have enough time to become an addict before you all heard about it." Spike said something to Ed and hung up.

"Callie honey. I am glad that you wanted to save your friend. However I think you also knew that you shouldn't have jumped in between them. I'm not going to yell at you. I think you feel dumb enough. We are going to go to the Hospital and get your hand stitched up and then head over to the house. after that, we are going over to my parents house and have dinner. And if you were doing drugs I'd have to beat your butt senseless." Callie smiled and nodded.

"I really like your parents Spike. They are really nice to talk to and the intense love that I feel everytime I walk into your house is amazing. Not to mention that your mother seems to think that I am too skinny and therefore need fattening up. Which I'm not and I don't. What's for dinner?" Spike laughed.

"Pasta. Or possibly meatloaf. Whatever my mom felt like making tonight. And what ever my father wanted for dinner. They know you are coming over and staying over. We will set you up in the spare bedroom. It's yours anyway when you come to visit." Callie smiled and snuggled down into the seat.

They got to the hospital and got into the emergency room. Callie needed 17 stitches in order to close the cut in her hand. She got lectured by the doctor as well as by Spike. After they were finished, Spike drove them to SRU headquarters. Callie left her bag in the truck and Spike grabbed it for her, a silent reminder that even though she was visiting, she still had to keep up on her schoolwork. Callie grabbed her bag and stomped into the building.

"Hey Callie. How are you doing? How was school today?" Wordy asked as Callie walked past. She stopped and turned around with a hand on her hip.

"Hi. My day was lousy, I've got a nasty, itchy cut on my hand, and Spike's making me do my homework. How do you think I feel Wordy? Awful!" Wordy's laughed followed her down the hall. She passed Jules and Sam, and passed Greg too. She had short pleasant conversations with each of them. She was just about to where she was going to sit and do homework, when she ran right into Ed.

"Hi Ed. Sorry. I didn't mean to run into you. I've got to get to my homework." She heaved a great sigh, frowned and started to walk off to the desk that the team had put in headquarters for her. Ed reached for her arm.

"This is definitely a backslide. Talk to me Callie. What's up? Clark says hi by the way. He wants to know when you are going to come over again. I think he likes you." Callie's cheeks grew hot and pink and she dropped her eyes to the ground. Ed smirked. Callie dropped her bag and flopped down in the chair that was closest.

"I don't know maybe on Thursday after school. I miss him. I hate the new school that I am in. It's not really all that challenging." Callie set up her stuff at the little desk that the team had set up for her, when she started hanging around Headquarters. Not that the team cared. They liked having her around.

"So what kind of homework you have tonight Callie? And what can I do to help you with it?" Ed pulled up another chair, looked at her assignment book and attempted to help her with her homework.

"I have Math. An English paper to write, I have some Anthropology work to do, as well as some Science stuff to do. I also have to read the next chapter of my Italian book. I'm taking a foreign Language. I decided to pick Italian. It's ok stuff. I can breeze through it pretty quickly. I just need to get motivated to get started. How was the day today Ed?" They talked for a few minutes and then Ed said he had to be in the briefing room.

Callie put her headphones on and furiously started scribbling on some paper, working on her English paper. Ed stood watching her for a moment and then wandered off to find Spike. He found him in with The rest of the team in the briefing room.

"All I am saying is that I think there is something else going on with her. I want to shake her and make her tell me what's going on. And I know that I can't because that would make her feel threatened and shut her down. I am so glad that I'm not a father. How do you do it Ed?" Spike said welcoming Ed. Ed shrugged.

"I have not yet perfected the art of Teenager speak or their mood speak. But I'll let you know when I do though." They continued talking for a little bit before Spike left to go check on Callie, who had been quiet for far too long. Normally they would hear her singing quietly. But tonight, nothing. They were due at Spike's house in a half hour for dinner. He checked the desk and found her stuff scattered about the desk, but no Callie. He wasn't too panicked.

He looked in the briefing rooms, nothing. He looked in the workout room, nothing. He had Jules check the ladies room. Again nothing. He was about to start panicking when he decided to check outside in the yard. Sometimes she liked wandering outside to the training yard, and sit on the benches and think. It was well lit and there was no one out there at night unless they were doing night drills.

Spike saw her sitting there on one of the benches. He approached her quietly. When he got closer, he could hear her crying. He stood there for a moment and then texted Ed to tell him to let the others know that he found her. After he hung up, he continued listening. After a few minutes, he came up next to her and sat down.

"Callie. What's wrong? Hhm? I didn't see you at the desk and came looking for you because we are due at my parent's like right now. Aren't you hungry? I think my mom is making Lasagna tonight with Salad and Garlic bread." Callie nodded.

"I'm tired of feeling like such an alien. I don't belong anywhere anymore. Why can't I know who I birth parents are? I only want to meet them so at least I can say I had parents. I don't even know where to start looking. I at least want to say that I have parents out there somewhere, even if they don't want me or any contact with me. Why can't I Spike?" She wiped her eyes.

"Callie, Why is it so important that you know who your parents right now?" Callie sniffled and wiped her eyes. Spike handed her a hanky.

"There's a school function. Parent career day or something like that. I want someone who means a lot to me. I mean the stanton's are nice, don't get me wrong. But I don't feel it's their place to take part. It's not that I care that other people laugh at me. I just want to have a connection with someone." She sat there crying longer. Spike just held her.

After a few minutes of rocking Callie back and forth, Spike's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Michaelangelo! My son, You are now very late for dinner. And so is Callie. That child needs to eat. Are you coming home to eat or do I have to package this up and bring it over there to the station?" Spike grinned.

"I don't want you to go through any trouble Mama. We will eat when I get off shift. That will be two Hours." A sound of outrage, followed by admonishing in Italian pierced his ear. Spike winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"I will be over there in one hour Michaelangelo with your dinner. Make sure that you and Callie are hungry. No snacks, you understand? Good bye!" Spike heard the dial tone, sighed, hung up the phone and turned to Callie.

"Are you ready to eat? Because my mom will be here in about an hour to bring us food."Callie nodded and smiled. They stayed on the bench for a few more minutes, just talking. They hadn't caught up like that in a while.

"Callie, Does this career day thing HAVE to be a parent? Can it be another family member or even a friend? Because I don't want you to have be left out of the fun. What goes on? Is it just introducing the person, giving a short speech and leaving?" Callie snorted.

"I don't HAVE to participate in it, but I'd really like to. It doesn't have to be a parent. I guess I just wanted it to be so badly because I want to know that I have a blood relative out there you know? I don't know. No, It's that but there's like a small lunch afterwards." Spike nodded, a plan forming in his mind.

"Are you ready to go get some food? Mama likes to make sure we all eat. If I know her, she will sit and watch us like hawks to make sure that we eat. The rest of the team as well. She's Italian, she likes taking care of people." Callie noddedand hopped off the bench and took Spike's hand, pulling him along.

When they got there, Spike's mother was already there, dishing out Lasagna on paper plates for the rest of the team and handing them out. The rest of the team was waiting in apprehension for the great smelling food. Spike went to his mother and hugged her.

"Mama! I said you didn't have to bring the food here! Did anyone help you with bringing it in here? How was the drive over here?" His mother gave him a look. Spike threw up his hands quickly in surrender. Greg laughed.

"Looks like she resents you thinking that she can't do anything Spike. Better watch, She's going to get you." Spike laughed and nodded in reply.

"I know you aren't old and feeble yet. But that is a LOT of food you brought. Lasagna, Salad, Garlic bread. I just wanted to make sure someone helped you to bring it in from the car." He smiled and took the offered plate from his mother, passed it to Callie and sat down with his own plate.

"Edward and Kevin helped me. Very nice boys. Their mama's would be so proud of the gentlemen they've become." Spike laughed at Ed and wordy's cheeks getting pink and nodded.

"I'm sure their mothers are very proud Mama. Callie and I will be home in about two hours. Is that ok Mama?" His mother nodded and sat next to Callie, who leaned into her for a hug. After a few more minutes of conversation, Spike's mother announced that he was heading home. Spike walked his mother out and promised to bring the dishes back with him and Callie.

After his mother had gone home, they sat around the table and ate. Callie was shoveling the food down like there was no tomorrow. Everyone watched in amusement. Spike was flabbergasted. After a few minutes, He stopped Callie.

"Callie. I didn't know you liked Lasagna so much." Callie laughed and nodded.

"Yeah I do. I actually know very little about my birth parents, But I know that they were Italian, Like your family is. I love Italian food. Not too crazy about wine though." Ed started coughing and got up from the table. He said that he would be right back and moved out of the room.

Spike nodded and sighed. "I really hope that you are able to find your birthday parents Callie. I really do. Everyone deserves to be happy and to be loved. And to have connections." At this, the rest of the team looked confused. Spike shook his head at them, meaning that he would tell them later.

After the shift was over, Spike and Callie left headquarters to go back to Spike's parent's house. Ed had been doing some research on one of the computers and after Everyone else but Greg had left, he snagged Greg and pulled him into the Briefing room.

"Ed. What's going on? You've been pretty scarce since Dinner. Didn't even say bye to Spike and Callie. What's wrong?" Ed was holding a file in his hands. Greg made a grab for the file only to have Ed snatch it away.

"Greg. I was doing some checking into Callie's background and trying to trace her parents. I didn't want to discuse the progress I had made in front of Callie. I didn't want to get her hopes up and then find out that the information isn't correct." Greg nodded

"So what have you found out Ed? We've all been working on it off and on, but no one's really gotten anywhere with it. And I assume that you have." Ed nodded and pushed the folder across the table to greg, keeping his hand on it for the moment.

"This contains a copy of the Orginal Birth Certificate for Callie. I finally tracked it down. It lists her Mother's name and Father's name. So far I'm the only one who has looked at it Greg." Greg grabbed the folder from Ed.

"What are you saying Ed?" Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm saying. If this information is correct Greg. I think I know who Callie's birth parents are."


	4. Chapter 4

Anytime You need a Friend:

Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Thank you for such positive feedback! It's a little tough writing this but I'm liking the direction that the story is going. Not really sure yet how long this story will end up being. But stay tuned! Also. I know the chapters seem a tad long. I absulotely HATE extremely short chapters.

After Ed said that, Greg just sat down in his chair heavily. He opened the file and took a look. Afterwards, he put the file down and slid it back over to Ed. Greg was quiet for so long, that Ed was starting to think that maybe that Greg had passed out from Shock. He went to tap his shoulder, when he moved.

"I'm fine Ed. I thought something like this. I expected to find out that she was related to Spike somehow, maybe a cousin or something. But this, Wow is all I have to say. Definitely not something that I would have expected. Actually the very last thing I would expect. How are we going to tell her?" Ed shrugged.

"I think the first thing that we need to do is talk to Spike, and get some background. This is something that could really go up in a powder Keg if we aren't careful. I don't really know how to proceed. This is a little out of my expertise. Actually it could blow up no matter how we approach it. And I have a feeling that it's just going to blow up, period."

They made plans to talk to Spike the following day, just the three of them. To get background and see where to go from that point. Ed and Greg agreed to keep the birth certificate between the two of them until they sat down with Spike. They also decided to make sure that the other members of the team had enough stuff to do to keep them busy so they wouldn't interfere. After they had agreed to this, Ed put the file in his locker and they left Headquarters.

The next day, Spike walked into Headquarters frustrated. He hadn't slept all that much the night before and was feeling a little rough around the edges. Callie hadn't been able to sleep either and was up most of the night. She'd had a nightmare and hadn't wanted to go back to bed. Spike had made her breakfast and taken her to school, promising to pick her up afterwards, or someone from the team would do so.

"Hey Spike. Callie get off to school alright? You look a little rough there buddy. Have a long night?" Wordy asked coming up along side of him, slapping him on the back. Wordy knew that look well. He'd had it many times since his girls were born. But he was a father and Spike wasn't. Spike nodded.

"Yeah. I dropped her off at school and yeah it was a really rough night. She had a nightmare last night, and had an adverse reaction to it. I was warned by her foster parents though that she'd had a couple nightmares. I had kinda hoped that she wouldn't have them at my parent's house. To her that's a safe place" Wordy nodded.

"What else is going on. There seems to be alot of other things going on as well. That reminds me. Let me know when Callie comes here this afternoon. I want to ask her if she would be ok to watch the girls for a few hours on Friday because my wife and I wish to go out to dinner. If she's not or if she can't, it's fine. Just want to know. What kind of adverse reaction?"

"She wants to know who her birth parent's are. She wants to have some kind of connection with someone. She's all bent out of shape over this career day thing going on at her school next week. I asked her if it could be a friend, and she said yeah. I think I am going to do it for her. I really think it would make her feel more comfortable. Any advice? The adverse reaction, just don't tell anyone. She wet the bed pretty badly. She was really upset and angry about it." Wordy nodded.

"It's understandable that she wants to feel a connection to someone. And by that I mean a blood relative. She feels connected to all of us, but it's not the same as say, a father or a mother. Also for the adverse reaction. Set out an extra set of sheets in the room and let her take care of it. Don't ask her if she's had any reaction, just ask her if she slept well. She was probably really embarressed that she had to have you help her clean it up. She's a teenager. She wants space but she wants to keep you close. And expect a lot more nightmares, and more instances of wetting the bed."

They talked for a few more minutes about Wordy's daughters, before they went to get changed. After they were dressed and ready for work, they made their way to the briefing room where they were going to hear the shift change and be assigned their positions. When they were seated, Greg began the briefing.

"Ok. It's been a quiet night all around. We are hoping that it continues. There is paperwork to be done. Practicing that needs to be done, there is also the usual things that need done. Pick something and get started. Spike. A moment of your time please. That's it. Let's go." Everyone split and Spike stayed where he was. Ed went to get the file and Greg just sat and made small chat with Spike.

Spike sat there nervously. He hadn't done anything wrong, no pranks or anything, so he couldn't imagine what Greg and Ed wanted to talk to him about. His mind was on Callie. He wondered if she was doing ok in School. She had mentioned that she had a test today. He hoped that she was doing well on it. He was pulled from his thoughts when Ed slapped his shoulder with a file folder.

"Hey Ed. What did you guys want to talk to me about? Is this going to take long? I want to get back to babycakes." Just as Ed was about to speak, Spike's phone rang. He excused himself and stepped away to answer it hoping that it wasn't going to take long.

"Hello Mike Scarlatti speaking."

"Spike? This is Mrs. Stanton. Callie's foster mother. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Yes Mrs Stanton, I'm free to talk right now, If we get a call I will have to go, but I'm good for now. What can I do for you?" There was a pause on the phone.

"I got a phone call from the school. Callie did not show up to homeroom. According to her friends, She was at her locker, said she was going to walk down to the cafeteria to get something to eat and never made it to the cafeteria. I know you dropped her off this morning. I was wondering if perhaps she might have shown up where you work? I'm worried." Spike sat up straight and tense.

"Didn't show up? What do you mean she didn't show up? I dropped her off this morning. I stayed and watched until she went in the building. She has not shown up here. We will go look for her.

Stay by your phone, and if you hear from her call me." Spike hung up and stood there with his eyes closed for a moment. He was not aware that Ed and Greg had come over to him.

"Spike. What's wrong buddy? Is Callie ok?" Spike turned around.

"No She didn't show up for homeroom this morning. I dropped her off and Watched her walk into the building. I need to go out and look for her." He started to walk away when Ed grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"We will help as well. She's family to us now. Boss, go get the other members of the team and put team three on alert. Let's move. Spike. What was she last wearing? Spike?" After a quick shake from Ed, Spike seemed to shake out of his daze and went to work.

"She was wearing Black Jeans and a yellow sweater and running shoes. No jacket. She had her Orange bookbag with her. God I hope that she's ok." Greg summoned the team, divided them and gave them a grid. They agreed that if they had not spotted her in two hours, that they would call out the police to help them canvas.

Spike wanted to drive the truck but Ed insisted on driving. Spike tried Callie's phone a couple times but it went straight to Voicemail. Thinking that she might have gone to see Clark, Ed tried Clark, who said that he had not seen Callie for the past couple days. Spike called his mother who said she had not seen Callie since the morning. Spike thanked her and hung up.

"I don't know Ed. Was she taken? Did she leave on her own? This is tearing me apart. Call the cops in I don't care. I just want her back with us." Ed pulled over and stopped the vehicle. Spike looked at Ed.

"Ed. What are you doing? Do you see her?" Ed looked at him.

"Spike. Shut up. You are driving me nuts with your rambling. We will find her. You know. Clark ditched school once. You know where I found him? At the pizza parlor. He told me he wanted to do something cool. I busted his ass that evening and told him that ditching wasn't cool. We WILL find her." Spike nodded. Ed pulled back on the road again.

"I'm sorry Ed. It's just weird. I feel such a protective nature towards Callie. And not knowing where she is right now is driving me nuts." Ed just nodded while thinking in his head how that made perfect sense even if Spike couldn't explain it to himself or anyone else.

Spike tried Callie's phone again. This time it rang. Spike mentally crossed his fingers. Suddenly someone's voice came on out of breath.

"Hello? Callie? Are you there? Talk to me sweetie." There was wheezing.

"Spike? I'm scared. I can't stop running. Spike. Help me! AAAAHHHHH! OOF! DAMNIT." Spike had already activated the tracker on Callie's phone. A little something that he'd had installed on her phone. Signaling to Ed to let the rest of the team know that he was on the phone with Callie. Ed nodded.

"Callie. Can you tell me where you are please Honey. Callie talk to me. Callie?" There was silence for a few minutes. Then Callie came back on the air.

"I don't know where I am. I'm in a field. A big, flat field. It has some kind of machine in it. I don't know." Spike nodded to himself while thinking that's a lot of hay stacks to check.

"Do you see signs, landmarks anything around you that will help? Anything at all." He waited. Suddenly Callie's voice screeched in his ear.

"I see one of the trucks. I don't know who's driving. Lights are on, no siren though. Suddenly Ed slammed on the brakes, threw the truck in park, and jumped out, running with his gun drawn. Spike jumped out too seeing that Ed was running right toward Callie. He hung onto the phone, and followed Ed.

"Callie. We see you. Stay where you are! We'll come get you." He could see Callie very clearly now. She was running towards Ed. Ed grabbed her and slid her behind him as he scanned the area. Spike had already hung up the phone and contacted the rest of the team to let them know that they had Callie. Ed walked with her back to Spike.

"Callie. Thank God that you are alright. What happened? Why did you ditch school? I thought you were happy there at that school. You know you are in a lot of trouble for ditching class. I'm just glad that you are ok. We will talk about this later." Callie looked at him confused and accepted a bottle of water from Ed.

"But I didn't skip school Spike. Mr. Sanchez, he came to the school and took me. Said that if I didn't come with him immediately, he would start shooting students. The halls were crowded. It would have started a massive panic. He did allow me to put my bag in my locker though. He took my shoes from me. See?" She held out a sock covered foot, saturated in mud. Spike nodded. Ed looked at Spike.

"I thought that guy was in jail still. We are so sorry Callie, if we would have known, we would have protected you better. Come on. Into the truck you go. Spike, Call the Stantons and tell them we found her and that she seems unharmed. We will check her out when we get to Headquarters. Which will be a while since we are still on patrol." Spike nodded and quickly called Mrs. Stanton back and let her know that they had found Callie and would return her to home Saturday evening as agreed. Mrs. Stanton agreed to this and they hung up.

After a couple hours which included filling out a report with the police about Mr. Sanchez, and a stop for food, they returned to Headquarters, where Callie showed the rest of the team that she was alright. After a few minutes of chatting politely, Callie fell asleep in the weight room and Spike, Greg, and Ed went back to the briefing room to finish their discussion. While the rest of the team did some workouts.

"Ok. Now maybe we can finish our conversation, now that we defintely know where Callie is. What did you guys want to talk to me about. I haven't been doing any pranks. I haven't been doing anything wrong that I know of. I've been too busy behaving around Callie. " Ed and Greg laughed for a minute.

"Spike please calm down and relax. You aren't in trouble. I'm just wondering what you can tell the two of us about an Alessandra Michaels." Greg asked. Spike was sure his heart stopped for a few minutes. He was aware of his name being called several times. He put a hand over his chest and shook his head dully.

"Wow. Alessandra. Been a really long time since I heard that name. She- She was my girlfriend about 15 years ago. We were really in love. Her father didn't approve of me. I had just started in uniform, she was the heir to a multimillion dollar software company. Her father wanted me to quit law enforcement and I didn't want to. I wanted to propose to her. She was really beautiful." He trailed off.

"What happened to her Spike? Can you tell us?" Spike smirked sadly.

"The last day I saw her. She told me that she had a surprise. That she was going to tell me when she got to my apartment. I spent all afternoon cooking so we'd have a delicious meal to eat. I still remember what I was trying to cook. You know it's funny how certain things stick out in your mind. I was going to propose to her. She was- quite a woman. I loved her." Spike sat there with a smile on his face then continued.

"She never showed up. I called her number. It was disconnected. I went to her father's company, I was thrown out and told to never come back. I tried several times to locate her. I never did. A few years ago, about five or six to be exact, I heard that she'd died in a plane crash, There are no heirs to the fortune. Her father is still alive. Why are you asking about her anyway Greg?" Ed and Greg looked at each other and nodded.

"Spike. We know all about the Plane crash. We know that you and her were dating. Did you know that She'd had a child? We did some digging into the whole thing. She was pregnant and carried the child to term. She gave birth on December 1st nearly 14 years ago. We also know that she gave the child up for adoption." Ed spoke slowly. Spike shrugged.

"What the hell does that have to do with me? She met someone after me and got married and had a kid. Good for here. Sad the child is going to grow up without a mother. That doesn't make me feel any better or different." Ed shook his head and run a hand across his forehead in slight frustration. Greg put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Spike, she never got married. And she didn't keep the child. Didn't you hear what I just said Spike? The child was given up. We have a copy of the adoption files, the papers, everything. Is what I'm trying to say making any sense to you Spike?" Spike nodded slowly. Ed waved the file folder in his face.

"Spike. We all started researching Callie's birth and adoption because we desperately wanted to help her find her birth parents. You know that. I finally tracked down her original birth certificate. It lists her Mother's name as well as her Father's name. She's Alessandra's daughter. Care to take a wild guess as to who the father is? Spike? Don't pass out on us here Spike. Spike?" Spike shook his head and held out his hand for the file. Ed handed it over. Spike looked at it.

Spike couldn't believe it. He read the file. And then read it again. He still couldn't believe it. His chin trembled. He put the folder down and stood up. Ed and Greg got up too, unsure of what Spike was doing. Tears started flowing down his cheeks.

"She gave her my mother's first name as a middle name and tacked on a C at the beginning. 13 years and I never knew. Never would have known probably if she hadn't tried to kill herself that day. I have a daughter? I'm a father? Greg, I think- I- I think I'm going to be sick." Spike felt himself slipping towards the floor, unaware that Ed and Greg caught him and moved him to the couch that was in the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 5

Author's note:

Hey everyone. So glad people are enjoying the story. Even more glad for the great reviews. I do not know a thing about Canada, so I not familiar with anything of theirs. Any mistakes I have made, are made with no knowledge, and as such, are my fault. Keep reading and enjoying!

Spike lay there on the couch for a few minutes in absolute shock. He could not believe this. He was vaguely aware of Greg taking his pulse, talking to him and saying something to Ed. Ed hurried off and returned a few minutes later.

"She's fine Greg. Still Asleep. I covered her with a blanket and came back. How's Spike doing?" Greg just shrugged his shoulders. Spike struggled to sit up. Ed helped him up and handed him a bottle of water. He was quiet for so long that Ed was starting to get just a little concerned. Usually Spike couldn't be shut up. Of course the news today had thrown him for a bit of a loop. Finally he seemed to break out of his trance.

"I didn't know. I swear to God that I didn't know. If I had. I would have never let her be put into the system in the first place. Please believe that. What do I do Greg? How do I tell her? How do I tell my parents? Do I even have any rights? Tell me what to do." Greg hugged him as he started panicking.

"Well first. You do some thinking. Then you decide how to approach telling Callie. As for your parents, well. I don't know how to tell them. I think they will be excited. Callie might be a little self conscious. As for rights, I think you have paternal rights. but you need to get a DNA test so that you can prove that you are her father. I think that you should get that done and have the results in your hand before you tell Callie or your parents. But that's my opinion." Ed said sitting on the other end of the couch.

"It's the best and quickest way to go about things. We know you would be able to provide for her. You make a fair amount of money, you live at home, but that's your custom. You're Italian. As for learning how to rear a child. I think you have the bare basics down. The rest you will learn as you go along. We all do." Ed took a breath and continued.

"I put in a call to the lab downtown. They will need a sample from the both of you. The Hospital where you took Callie to get her hand stitched can send over a sample if you want. They would also take a tiny bit of blood from you and send it as well. If you do it today, they can have the results in one week." Spike nodded, his head swimming. He rubbed his face.

"Ok. Ok. Can I have a few minutes of leave to go do that Boss? Please 20 minutes tops. I need to know 100% yes or no. I already know she's my daughter. She looks a LOT like my family. But I want to know know, her 14th birthday is about two weeks away. This would be an interesting birthday present." Greg nodded.

"Go. We will keep an eye on Callie. Hurry back. I will call the hospital and let them know you are coming in and why and ask them to expedite getting you in and sending the samples. I will also call the lab and ask them to expedite the testing and results. I think I will send the team out on Patrol. If Callie wakes up while you are gone, I will make her ride with Wordy. She likes Wordy. Loves Shelly and the girls too. So that's good. Actually she loves everyone on the team. Which is good. She has connections with people. But to have a connection with actual blood relatives, well that's a deeper connection and one she should have." Spike nodded and took off in one of the trucks.

"Hey Boss. Spike just took off. Where's he going?" Wordy asked while Greg picked up the file folder that Spike dropped on the table and handed it to Ed. Ed left to put it his locker. He then turned and faced Wordy.

"Spike had a quick errand to run. It was a personal one. He asked if we could keep an eye on Callie for him till he gets back. He should be back in about a half hour. Is Callie still sleeping in the weight room?" Wordy shook his head.

"No. She woke up when she fell off the bench and went into Briefing room three to finish sleeping. She was muttering something about dirty, soggy clothes and having nothing clean to change into. Shelly's coming over with the girls and is going to take Callie back to our house if she wants to go and hang out with the girls. I was going to tell Spike to let him know. I'll just text him." Greg nodded.

"Hey Boss, this woman here was at the front desk, looking a little lost. She said that she wanted to speak with Spike. Is he still here by chance? I also noticed one of the trucks was missing. And Callie isn't in the weight room anymore." Sam said introducing a young woman who was wearing a business suit, carrying a briefcase. Greg stepped forward with his hand extended.

"Hi, I'm Gregory Parker. I'm Spike's, Michaelangelo's, boss. We call him Spike. He's not here at this precise moment. He had to run a quick personal errand. He should be back in about an hour, give or tke a few minutes. Can I ask who you are and why you are here." The woman smiled and help out her hand.

"My name is Emily Matthews. I'm with Family and Children's Services. I am here to speak with Mr. Scarletti about a private matter. Would he be available to chat upon his return? Greg was just about to answer when Callie walked in yawning. She caught sight of Emily and rolled her eyes, looking sheepish when Greg raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hi Emily. What is it this time. You know, the only time that I ever see you anymore is when you are showing up to tell me that I'm being moved to a different home. If that's the case forget it. I like where I'm at now. Greg. Where's Spike at? I wanted to ask him about something." Wordy jumped in.

"Spike had to run an errand. Shelly called and said that she was on her way up here to bring me something. She was going to ask you if you wanted to go over to our house and spend time with her and the girls. I know they've been asking about you." Callie nodded eagerly and ran off. After she had gone, Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Why is she not in School. There is no holiday that I am aware of. And she has another 3 hours before school is out for the day. If she is being truant and Mr. Scarletti is allowing it, then I have no choice but to cut off any and all contact between her and him, as well as any of you. Which way did she go? I need to collect her and take her back to the Stantons." Another voice chimed in.

"Yeah. Not going to happen. Hey Boss. Made it back with a half hour to spare. Not bad. Thanks for calling ahead. Hello Ms. Matthews. Callie is not in school, because she was abducted from the school this morning and expressed an extreme reluctance to go back today after we found her. I made the decision to keep her out and consulted with the Stanton's and they agreed. I called the school to let them know that she was found, explained with happened and told them she would be back in school tomorrow." Spike said, making his presence known. Emily nodded and made a couple notations.

"Where's Callie gotten off to now? She wasn't in the weight room when I walked through after coming back here. I peeked out back and she wasn't in the yard on the bench either." Spike asked, coming in a taking a seat against the table. Sam spoke up.

"Yeah, No. She was just here. Shelly is going to be here in about 20 minutes with the girls and was going to ask if she wanted to go with her and the girls to spend time with them. She ran off, probably to wash up as much as she could. And probably borrow some extra clothes from Jules until she could wash hers. They were kinda muddy." Spike nodded.

"Yeah she was running across a dirty field. Ask her to tell you all about it later. Yeah sure she can go. I obviously trust Shelly. I'm not worried in the least. I'll just follow Wordy over after work and pick her up. What else can I help you with Ms. Matthews?"

"I see. Well the fact remains that since you have all come into Callie's life, you have had both positive and negative effects on her life. I'm not so sure that you are a suitable candidate to adopt her, Mr. Scarletti. I obviously don't make the final determination, but from where I stand, I think that is best that I take Callie back to the Stanton's and limit your contact with her." Spike nodded.

"I figured you might feel that way. I have information that has recently come to my attention, that has not been 100% verified as yet, and is something that Callie does NOT know about yet, so I prefer that she not know until absolutely necessary to avoid any unnecessary upset. It should be verified within a week." Ms. Matthews raised an eyebrow.

"Any and all information that you come across in the course of the process of an application for adoption needs to be turned over to me for review and verification. What is this information that you have come across?" Spike looked at Ed who had gotten the file and had made a copy. Spike took it and held it up.

"Through the efforts of a colleague, I was able to finally track down Callie's original birth certificate. It lists her Mother's and Father's first and last names on it." Ms. Matthews nodded for him to go on. Spike took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, realizing that he was about to out himself as Callie's potential father to some of the rest of the team. He decided he didn't care.

"My name is on the line for Father. I went to have a paternity test. That's where I was. It is pending. I know enough about law to know that if there are tests pending, You can not remove a child from the home he or she is residing in. I have not yet discussed this with the Stanton's. I was going to sit down with them on Saturday when I take Callie back and talk to them then. Like I said, she does not know and I don't want her to know before the test is done and the results are given to me." Ms Matthews nodded.

"You know your law. Very good. Very well. But if the results indicate that you are not her father. I will take her and remove her and cut off all contact." Spike nodded. Sam escorted her out to her car. Once they were gone, Wordy turned to Spike.

"Really Spike?" Spike nodded a small smile on his face. Wordy Smiled and slapped him on the back while laughing.

"Right on. Good, I'm glad. Don't worry. I'm not telling anyone until you do." He turned to leave to greet Shelly who had just pulled into the parking lot. Spike saw Callie run into the room, carrying a small shopping bag containing some clean clothes and his heart melted. Ed and Greg caught the look that came over Spike's face and smiled.

"Hey Spike! It's ok if I go over to Wordy and Shelly's right? I mean I know that we are supposed to be hanging out. But I do kinda miss the girls." He nodded.

"Absolutely. I will be over after work to pick you up. Do you think you can manage without me until then?" He asked with a serious expression on his face. Callie laughed.

"Definitely. I can survive that long. See you tonight! Bye Ed. Bye Greg." She skipped out the door, Spike watching as if seeing her for the first time. When she was gone from sight, Spike turned towards Ed and Greg and rubbed his face.

"Wow. Now all I have to do is keep this a secret for a week and figure out exactly how I'm going to let this bomb drop into everyone's laps. I may need a lot of advice." Spike drifted off to work on babycakes, while Greg and Ed sat and talked for awhile.

_A week later:_

Spike was rather surprised with himself. Not only had he managed to only speak with the Stantons regarding the test and the possibility that he was Callie's father, He also managed to not tell his parents or Callie prematurely. He was actually pleased that he hadn't said anything. It had taken him that long to come up with some way to drop it into their laps.

He had gone to the Career Day thing at Callie's school, where she introduced him as a friend of the family. He wasn't upset, she didn't know. He was ok with the introduction. He knew her birthday was getting close and also knew that his mother was planning a small birthday party for her. He noticed that their relationship was changing every day and he longed for the results of the DNA test to confirn what he felt he already knew in his heart.

Callie had gotten her report card out once and was pleased to report straight A's. Spike was proud of her. Callie was happy as well. Doing well in school. She seemed to have several friends that she was hanging out with, and chatter excitedly everytime that they spoke or saw each other. Spike had gotten her in to see a therapist to help her deal with the abuse that she had experienced at the hands of Mr. Sanchez.

One day, Spike was running late for work, and had arrived 15 minutes late. He tried really hard to sneak past Greg, but Greg saw him and called him out.

"Spike. You're late. Why? That's not like you at all." Spike swore under his breath and turned to face Greg.

"Sorry Boss. I overslept and just. I tried to get here on time. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise." Greg nodded. Dismissed, Spike ran to the locker room to get dressed for work and get in the briefing room in time for the shift change report. He got dressed in record time and just barely made it into the briefing room before Greg started to speak.

"Ok. Last night was hard on Teams six and seven. They had a bad call that ended in the loss of life for one of the hostages. They won't be in for a few days. Which mean all other teams are picking up the slack where needed. They didn't have a chance to clean the trucks or restock the ammo. So today, we are going to help them out by doing that. Does anyone have anything to add?" After a moment of silence, he dismissed them and they scattered off to various chores.

Spike was in charge of washing the trucks and grabbed the necessary supplies, knowing that it was going to take him a good three hours to wash and dry them because both teams used a total of eight trucks. That was ok. He could be alone with his thoughts and no one would disturb him. Greg would make rounds ensuring that everyone was busy, other than that he was good to go. Suddenly his phone started to ring. He snatched it out of his pocket quickly answering it.

"Hello. Michaelangelo Scarlatti speaking."

"Yes. Mr. Scarlatti. This is Edna Rogers down at Mathers laboratory. How are you doing today?" Spike's heart jumped into his throat.

"Yes Ma'am. I am doing alright, and yourself? " The voice continued.

"Fine. You had a DNA test run to determine paternity did you not?" Spike replied that he had. The suspense was killing him.

"Well, we've run the test. We always run it twice to double check and make sure we get the same results. It has been shown with a 96.8% accuracy that you ARE the father of the person being tested against. Congratulations. All Canadian courts require a minimum of 90% for all legal proceedings. A hard copy is being messengered over right now, you will need ID to confirm before you will recieve it. Again our congratulations. Bye" Spike slumped against the truck.

It had been confirmed. He was a father. He couldn't believe it. It was finally real. He dropped the phone in his pocket and ran to find the Boss, asking Sam if he would please finish washing the trucks. Sam agreed and started washing.

"Sarge? Hey Sarge where are you? Ed, Have you seen Sarge?" Ed pointed to the briefing room and Spike ran in. Greg was sitting there on the phone with the commander, telling him that the annual requalifying time was fine with him. He looked up and saw Spike standing there, so excited that he was practically dancing in place. He ended the call with the commander and hung up the phone.

"Spike? What's wrong?" Spike slammed his hands on the table and Greg raised an eyebrow at the action.

"96.8% accuracy." Greg just looked him. Spike's chin trembled and Greg could see tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm her father. I'm a father Greg. And I am scared to death." He quickly explained the phone call to Greg, and Greg congratulated him. Just then the rest of the team came in. They took one look at Spike and crowded around thinking something awful happened.

"Spike? What's wrong? We'll help whatever it is."Jules said giving him a quick hug. Spike smiled at her.

"Nothing's wrong Jules. Remember last week when I went to run that errand? Well it wasn't just any errand. Thanks to Ed, he tracked down the original Birth certificate for Callie. Thanks to him, I now know who her birth father is." The team looked at him with a mixture of looks. Ed and Wordy smiled, Sam was nodding his head and Jules was waiting for him to continue.

"I went last week to take a DNA test. I'm her father. I have a daughter." Jules squealed loudly and they all started hugging Spike, who had finally given himself over to the tears. Suddenly the celebration was interrupted by a voice.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for Mr. Scarletti. I have important documents for him." A delivery person was standing there uncertainly. Spike walked over to him.

"That would be me." He showed Id, and recieved the package from the delivery person. Spike was so happy. He finally had hard, tangible proof that Callie was his daughter. This was easily the best day of his life. Wordy nudged him.

"What are you going to do now?" Spike looked at him.

"I don't know. Now all I have to do is find a way to tell Callie." A new voice spoke up uncertaintly. Everyone turned to the source of the voice. Callie was standing there with her bookbag over her looking a little confused. Clark was standing next to her. She looked right at Spike.

"Tell me what Spike?"


	6. Chapter 6

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 6

Author's Note:

Well here it is Chapter 6 and to think that I was only going to do a one shot. Thank you again for the reiews. and Pondera 2.0; I apologize. It seems like nearly every chapter that I have written has a cliff hanger. I will try NOT to post them as often with out an extra chapter. But what can ya do? That being said. I will taking a short break from this story to work on more chapters. Convince me to continue writing. I want new reviews =D. Enjoy the next chapter!

Spike's breath caught in his throat. He had hoped that he would have more time to think and plot exactly how he was going to tell Callie. But here she was standing in Headquarters in front of him, waiting to hear what he had to say. And he knew that he didn't want her to jump to any conclusions. He threw a pleading glance at Greg, who went into action.

"Hey Callie. How was School? Did you get a grade back yet on that project you were doing that I was helping you with? Spike got some great news today and he wanted to find the best way to tell you, so you wouldn't be hurt or upset. How about we give him a few minutes to collect his thoughts and let him join us in a few minutes." He glanced at Ed for help and Clark jumped forward and hit Callie on the shoulder. nearly knocking her over.

"Tag! YOU'RE IT!" And took off running, running smack into Ed's chest, nearly knocking the both of them over in the process and his haste to get away.

"Sorry Dad. Forgot you were standing there." Ed raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat, getting Clark's attention before he could rush off again.

"Clark what have I told you about hitting girls? You don't ever hit a girl. Not even in play. You need to apologize now." Clark sighed.

"Sorry Callie. But you're still it and I know since you are a girl, you can't catch me!" He skirted around his father and ran out the door. Callie dropped her bookbag with a thud and retied her shoes. Suddenly she took off, screaming at Clark as they ran around the yard, trying to tag each other. Spike relaxed.

"Thanks Sarge. I owe Clark big for that. Ed. Callie's going to tear him a new one, when she gets ahold of him. They seem to really like each other. I need to call Ms. Matthews and tell her that I got the proof. I also need to find a way to tell my parents. And I also need to tell the Stanton's and arrange to pick up her stuff. I have so much to do." Spike started drawing up a list.

"Don't worry Spike. We will keep Callie occupied for awhile. You will find the right way to tell her and your parents. Finish your shift today, and you are off for three days. Personal time. That will be a way for you to do what you need to, tell who you need to, and make what arrangements you need to make. We all be available to help you with whatever we can." Greg said. The others nodded in assent.

"Thank you. I think I will make that phone call right now to get it done and out of the way so it is one less thing that I need to be worrying about." Everyone left Spike in the briefing room and he picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, This is Emily Matthews Speaking. How may I help you?" Spike cleared his throat nervously before speaking.

"Hi Ms. Matthews. This is Michaelangelo Scarlatti. I got the results of the DNA test and you said you wanted to know what the results were." There was shuffling on the other end.

"Yes I did. I will need a copy of the results to put in t

e file. Can I drive over and get it?"

"Yes you can. The results say that I AM her father. With a 96.8% accuracy. It is my understanding that the court's require 90% accuracy. When will you be here?" They discussed details and Hung up the phone. He went to the back door and just watched Clark and Callie running after each other. Ed was watching them as well.

"He likes her, you know." Spike looked at Ed in confusion.

"Huh? What are you talking about Ed?" Ed rolled his eyes and shook his head in Pity at Spike's not understanding.

"Clark likes your daughter. As in he wants to hang around her and date her at some point when she's old enough. Nevermind. Did you call Ms. Matthews like you said you were going to do?" Spike nodded.

"She's coming over in a few minutes to get a copy of the results. How do I tell Callie? I never knew she was my daughter until like a week ago. Now I know for sure. I want to take custody of her and have her live with me. But I don't know how she will take it." Ed nodded.

"Let me give you some advice. When Soph and I had to tell Clark that he was getting a baby sister, we agonized over how to tell him. That alone led to some interesting discussions. Finally we sat down with him and told him. He was excited at the prospect of getting a sister. He once said after she was born, that his life had purpose at that moment, because now he had someone to protect. Just sit down with her and explain to her about her mother. Tell her that you are her father. Be easy with her. Kids are remarkably resilient. They bounce back fast." Spike nodded.

"I think I will do it after Ms. Matthews visits. That way, I won't be trying to juggle that and explain to her at the same time. I have only known she is my daughter for like a week but I feel this surge of protectiveness come over me that I don't want to let her out of my sight." Ed nodded.

"I know exactly how you feel. Kind of like no matter what, you would put your life on the line for her time and again just to protect her. Right?" Spike nodded, glad Ed could understand where he was coming from.

"Spike? Ms. Matthews is here to talk to you. She's waiting in briefing room 4. I'm going to see if Clark and Callie want to play tag." Sam said as he walked by. Spike nodded and went to find Ms. Matthews. He found her just where Sam had said she was. She was sitting and having a pleasant conversation with Greg. Spike knocked.

"Hey Boss. Hello Ms. Matthews. Here's that copy of the results that you wanted. What's next?" Ms. Matthews looked it over quickly and inserted in to the file. She smiled at Spike. She pushed paperwork over to Spike along with a pen.

"These are forms acknowledging that you are Callie's Father. I am assuming that you are planning on taking custody of her." At this, Spike nodded enthusiastically.

"Good. These are forms acknowledging your decision and intention of taking custody. I highly recommend that you take some time and look them over. Have an attorney look them over and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You have three weeks to get them signed and returned. Have you told her yet?" Spike shook his head.

"I'm going to do that in just a few minutes. Trying to figure out how to proceed." Ms. Matthews nodded.

"If I could make a couple suggestions. Callie is a remarkable girl. She feels things deeply. She'll be ok. If that's what you are worried about. She's lucky to have found birth relatives that want to take her in. Not all the children that I do casework for are so lucky. I will be in touch." They shook hands and Spike slid the papers into the manila envelope and put them in his locker. Just as he came out of the locker room, Callie went running by into the bathroom. When she came out, Spike was waiting for her.

"Hey Callie. Want to sit down and talk? I was trying to get caught up with some calls. I'm all caught up now. And I have something I would really like to discuss with you. " Callie nodded and walked to the briefing room ahead of Spike. When they were settled, Spike watched her for a moment then took a deep breath and let it out.

"So Callie. How was school today?" Callie smiled.

"It was ok, a little boring because we did nothing in my last three classes because we had subs. I really wish that I could have left early. Clark and I decided to meet at the corner of Huffington and St. Charles streets and walk here together. I think Clark likes me. I don't know what to make of that." Spike nodded. That chatted for a few more minutes about school related things, and how Callie was thinking about going out for the track team in the spring.

"Callie, do You remember telling me the other night on the bench in the yard, that it was so important to you that you know who your birth parents are, because you desperately wanted a connection to someone?" Callie nodded.

"Yeah I remember. Why?" Spike took a deep breath and caught Ed peeking in to give him a thumbs up before disappearing. Spike smiled at Callie.

"Well. We were all doing some digging into your birth and your past to try and find out anything we could. Ed got the farthest with it." Callie looked at him wide eyed.

"Callie Honey. We found out who your birth parents are. Do you still want to know?" Callie furrowed her brow for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah. It isn't going to make much difference. I only want to know who they are and where they live. I hadn't even gotten to the thought of actually contacting them. Who are they Spike?" Spike smiled sadly.

"Well your Mother's name was Alessandra Michaels. She was the heir to a software company. Her Father and mother are still alive, so you do biological grandparents out there. They live here in the city. I did some research and your biological mother is no longer alive. She died about five or six years ago approximately in a plane crash." He gave this a few minutes to sink in.

"And my biological father? What about him? Is he still alive? Or is he dead too?" Spike heard the bitterness and sadness in her voice, saw her chin trembling, took her hand and squeezed it, his heart breaking for her.

"He's still alive. Callie. I'm your biological father. I never knew you existed. I didn't even know you were my daughter until the DNA test confirmed it. Your mother never told me. I suspect that she was going to do so the last time that I saw her. But she never showed up. She named me on your original birth certficate, but never told me. I am so sorry." Callie pulled away from him and got up from the couch. Spike watched her.

"I need to process this. I'm sorry I just- I need time." She ran out of the room, Spike headed after her. He caught sight of her running out the front door and Clark running after her. Ed stopped him before he could run after her.

"Let her go for now Spike. Clark's with her. He'll keep her safe. What happened? She was crying and she didn't look happy." Ed guided him back to the briefing room and sat him down on the couch.

"I told her. She said she needed to process it. Then she ran out the door." Ed nodded.

"Give her space. That was alot of information that you laid on her just now. Clark has his cell phone on him. If he needs to, he will call us." Spike nodded and settled in to wait. He knew she would be back once she ran out her frustrations and processed everything.

_Meanwhile with Clark and Callie:_

"Callie. Slow down. I think you've run out your frustrations enough for the time being. Having Spike for a father isn't so bad. He's really nice and knowledgeable. He's really easy to talk to at times too. I'm sure that it wasn't easy for him to tell you everything that he told you today. Think of how it feels for him. He has a daughter that he didn't even know existed until what? A week ago?" Callie ignored him and kept jogging. Clark kept up with her easily.

"You wanna know. something, I think you're scared." At that, Callie stopped dead in her tracks.

"I beg your pardon?" Clark smirked at her irritated look.

"You heard me. You're scared. You wanted to know who your birth parents were so badly that you could taste it. And now that you know you're scared to believe that your wish to know actually came true. Admit it. You're scared."

"Maybe I am. I wanted a connection with someone and now that I have it. I'm scared that I'm going to wake up and find out that it's not true after all and that it's been nothing but this really cruel joke. Everytime that Mr. Sanchez touched me. I would go to sleep at night dreaming of my birth father riding in to rescue me from that horrible life." Callie turned around and started joggin back towards headquarters. Clark was hot on her heels.

"Then you need to tell Spike that. Tell him you are scared. If you can't call him dad right away, tell him that. I know he will understand. I've met his family. They're awesome. You'd fit right in." Callie stopped and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks Clark. You're such a good friend, Let's head back. I should probably apologize." They picked up the speed and chattered back and forth. An hour later, they finally reached Headquarters. Callie could see Spike and Ed standing in the bay area and sighed.

"I think they are waiting for us. They got off shift an hour ago. Oops. I wonder if they are going to be mad at us for taking off and not saying where we were going." Clark shrugged in response and they jogged into the bay area and stopped in front of Spike and Ed.

"Hi Spike. Hi Dad." Ed and Clark said their goodbyes and left leaving Spike and Callie looking at each other silently. Spike was the first one to speak.

"I'm sorry that I dumped everything in one on you like that. I was so afraid that if I didn't tell you everything that I wouldn't be able to. That I would lose my nerve. So I just spit everything out. As yet my parents don't know that you are my daughter. I'm telling them tonight after dinner. And I don't expect you to call me Dad, or daddy, or even pops right away. You can call me Spike until you are comfortable. I don't mind. ok?" Callie nodded.

"Ok. Da-Spike. I don't know when I can do that. Do you think your mom- I mean Grandma, will be very angry with you?" Spike Laughed.

"No. I think she will love me all the more because I brought her a granddaughter. So far all she has are grandsons. She will probably expect you to call her Grandma though. Same thing with my father. Are you ok with telling them tonight? Or do you want to wait? Greg gave me the next three days off." Callie nodded.

"We can tell them tonight. I'd like them to know. I'm just scared that they are going to be pissed." Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Language young lady. I don't appreciate the foul language." Callie just laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 7

The winter had come and gone. It was now spring. There was approximately a month and a half left of school for the year. Spike and Callie had settled into their new relationship as father and daughter with little uneasiness. Callie was hard at work with classes and anticipating the summer greatly. Her grandparents had decided that as a late birthday present for Callie they would be taking a trip to see relatives in Italy for three weeks. Callie could hardly wait.

Spike was excited as well. He had found a tiny home, three levels, three doors down from his parents and had started getting to get moved out. He cited that he needed space and Callie needed a place as well. Surprisingly, his parents had been alright with it. Spike marveled at how easy it was to tell his parents. The same night that he had told Callie, She had gone over Shelly and Wordy's place and had a sleepover with the girls. Wordy had dropped her at school the next morning. He had sat down with his parents, without his brothers and sister around and told them the basic facts.

His mother had been thrilled, as he had expected. She finally had a granddaughter and she fussed something awful, saying how they needed to renovate the room for her. His father had been a bit cold at first, and Spike hadn't blamed him. But Callie had melted that when she came home from school the next day and hugged him, calling him Grandpa. Now she tagged after him pretty much everywhere she could.

A week after he had told his parents, Spike and Callie had finally moved into their house. That day, team one and some friends had gathered to help them move in. The house had its charms. with 3 floors, it had 6 bedrooms, 2 and a half bathrooms. Which meant that Spike and Callie wouldn't have to fight over the bathroom in the morning.

Spike wanted to make the move as easy on Callie as possible. Spike had a bedroom of the second floor with the bathroom on the second. Callie got a bedroom on the second floor and the bathroom on the third floor. They had furnished the house as much as they could, deciding that they would add on as they needed.

"Spike! Where's the couch go?" Wordy asked, drawing Spike out of his thoughts.

"First floor. Living room area." Spike's bedroom was set up already except that he need to put fresh linens on his bed and finish unpacking his clothes. Callie had already taken all of her stuff up to her room and had set it in the room but hadn't set up anything. Including her new bed. She had a lot of items from the years that she had lived with the Sanchez's that Mrs. Sanchez had had brought over the day before. Spike knew that she was going to be busy tonight getting things set up.

"Spike, um Dad?" He turned to see Callie lugging a cart with several boxes on it and tugging on his sleeve. The boxes were all labled "Kitchen" so he knew that was where she was going. He leaned down.

"Yes Sweetie?" Callie pointed across the street.

"Who is that man over there? Do you know him?" Spike straightened up to see an older gentleman standing there in a yard across watching them. He shrugged and waved. The man turned and went back into the house without waving back.

"Nope. Maybe's he a new neighbor. I know pretty much everyone here though, maybe he recently moved in like us and I just haven't met him yet. Why don't you go inside and put that stuff in the kitchen and start unpacking it. I think Grandma is going to be making us lasagna tonight in celebration of our moving in." Callie shook her head.

"Clark asked me to get pizza with him." She said ducking her head so that Spike wouldn't see the blush that spread across her face. Spike placed a finger under her chin and brought her eye to eye with him. His eyebrow was raised.

"Really now?" He paused for a second. "Is there something that I should know about here Callie?" Callie went bright red and screeched at him.

"NO!" and scampered off to the kitchen muttering. He smiled and turned back to help bring the rest of the stuff in. Between him, the rest of the team and his family that showed up, they had everything in the house and somewhat moved around. Sam and Jules had gone upstairs with Callie to help her start geting everything set up.

"I kinda know where I want everything Sam. I only need help putting the bed together. I can move things around myself. I am one of those odd people that have to move things around every so often. I want to get everything put together and moved to where I want. I will put everything in order later tonight." Callie swept her hair up into a high ponytail and then into a bun. She was letting her hair grow out. Spike would never admit it, but she was looking like her mother more and more.

After a couple more hours, everything had been set up and Spike's mother was setting up in the kitchen to make lasagna for 30 people. Clark was chasing Wordy's girls around the yard and it had been awhile since he had seen Callie. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with Ed and Greg, and went upstairs.

Before he got too far, he heard her singing to herself. He smiled to himself. He knocked on the doorframe and peeked in. Callie was flitting about the room putting items away little by little. She had a small tote that held bathroom items on the chair that was in her room.

One of the things that Mrs. Sanchez had brought over was her desk and her dresser. Spike had gone out and gotten her a chair for the desk. A lot of stuff that Callie had in her room was stuff from the Sanchezes. Spike appreciated Mrs. Sanchez bringing the stuff over. He knew Callie had missed it. Her bed was put together and set where she wanted it. The bed was already made.

Callie was now taking her clothes out of the massive suitcases and setting them on the bed to hang up in the closet or put in the dresser. Her closet wasn't huge but she liked it anyway. She had a cedar chest that Spike's father had made for her at the foot of her bed, holding extra blankets and sheets. The room was really looking nice.

"Hey Callie. You don't have to do that now. You can hang out downstairs. You can finish tonight. It's the weekend, you can stay up and finish tonight. Why don't you come downstairs." Callie nodded and put the clothes down.

"Ok. I'm kinda hungry Dad. I think I will make myself a quick snack. I'm not all that hungry right now. I'll eat dinner though, I promise." Spike nodded and watched her walk quickly down the steps.

"Spike? Thanks for the invite but Clark Soph and I are going to head out. Soph's a little tired and We are going to have a quiet dinner at home. There's a few things we need to discuss. See you at work tomorrow right?" Ed gave him a handshake and hugged Callie. Shortly after they left, Spike's mom placed a big pan of lasagna on the table.

A couple hours after everyone had left, Callie had done up the dishes and gone up to her room to finish putting her clothes away neatly. Spike had gone to his room to do the same thing. They were working comfortably when the phone rang. Spike hollared at Callie to get it.

"Hello Scarletti Residence." There was heavy breathing. Callie tried again.

"Hello?" Nothing. Rolling her eyes she hung up the phone. Almost immediately it rang again. Callie looked at Spike.

"You get it." And went on with her putting things away. She was almost done. All she had to do was put her underwear away and take her stuff up to her bathroom and put it away and then she would be done. She couldn't believe it. She'd gotten almost everything done in like 4 hours. Spike sat in her chair.

"Callie. Since I am working mostly every day that you are in school, I need to figure out what you are going to do while I'm at work since I can't be here when you get home." Callie nodded to show she was listening.

"Yeah I already thought about it dad. I decided that I would meet Clark. Walk here. Drop my bag in my room and then walk over to Grandma's." Spike was at a loss for words. His daughter had already thought and mapped the whole thing out. Better than he had actually. She was smart, he'd give her that.

"Ok, smarty! But I don't want you and Clark in the house unsupervised. And I'd appreciate a call when you get here. If I know my mother, she'll call me when you get there anyway so I'm not worried. I trust you." Callie looked at him.

"Dad. I'm not all that interested in dating at the moment and if Clark and I were in the house alone, it would be because we're going to the bathroom. Not having sex dad. We're not having this conversation!" Spike laughed.

"Ok. I know that Ed and Sophie are having this same conversation with Clark tonight as well. We all know you two are close and that you like each other. We want to make sure you are both safe and aware of were we as your parents stand." Callie ignored him and put her underwear in the drawers.

"Do you think you have enough socks honey?" Callie laughed.

"You can never have too many pairs of socks dad. Remember that." Spike threw up his hands in surrender and laughed. Kissing Callie on the top of the head, he said he was going to take a shower and get some sleep. Callie nodded and said she was going to shower, change and do some reading before going to sleep.

The next day, Callie woke up and padded upstairs to use the bathroom before going downstairs to get something to eat. When she got down there, She wasn't surprised to see other people around the table. She waved and made her self some toast. Spike scooped some scrambled eggs on a plate and handed it to her. She raised her toast in thanks and sat in one of the chairs and ate.

After eating, she felt better and more awake. She looked around the table. There was Sophie, Jules, Shelly and Shelly's daughters on one side and on the other were Ed, Clark, Sam and Wordy. She looked at her father.

"What's going on?"

"Spike is having fire alarms, a burglary system and locks installed in the house today. We came over because- well- we just did." Sam said shrugging his shoulders. Callie shrugged as well. She made her excuses and went up to take a shower and get dressed. About a half hour later, she came downstairs, dressed and ready to start the day. There was a knock on the door.

"Callie Honey, would you get that please? I'm trying to get something done in here. No, Ed. That wrench." Callie went to answer the door. At the door was the old gentleman that had been watching them when they had moved in. She smiled.

"Hi. Can I help you?" The guy just stared at her. The way he was staring at her was starting to make her skin crawl. She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you lost? Because if you're selling something we aren't interested." The guy stared at her. Callie was getting nervous.

"Hey Jules. Can you come here please." This seemed to snap the guy out of the trance he was in. He smiled at Callie.

"Are you Calessandra Scarlatti?" Callie nodded in the affirmative. The guy smiled and reached a hand out.

"I have finally found you. Please come with me. There's someone that wants to meet you." Callie took another step back and started to close the door. The guy stopped the door with his hand. Callie took another step back, right into Sam's chest.

"Hey Callie. What's up? Jules is in the bathroom, that's why she didn't come out here. Can we help you with something Sir?" The guy was silent but glared at Sam. Callie snapped out of her trance.

"Look. I don't know who you are or what you want. But I want you to get off of my father's property immediately. I also don't appreciate you coming over here and trying to get me to go with you. And I don't appreciate you watching me from across the street." When she said that, Sam pulled her away from the door and behind him.

"Callie. Go get your father and Ed. Now." Callie turned and ran off. Soon Spike came running to the door. The guy had already gone.

"What happened? Are you alright Callie? Is she ok Sam?" Callie held up a hand.

"There was a guy at the door. He asked if I was Calessandra Scarlatti. I replied that I was and he said that he'd finally found me, please come with him, there was someone that wanted to meet me. It was that freaky creepy old guy that was watching us when we moved in. The one you waved to that didn't wave back. What a creeper." Sam nodded.

"He ran up the street away from your parents house. He was pretty pissed that I wouldn't allow him in the house. He was pretty freaked when I identified myself as SRU. He took off." Spike nodded and hugged Callie to his side gently.

"Why don't you ladies go shopping like you planned to. Callie and I have been together for the past two weeks. We need away from each other. Just don't go wild in the stores sweetie ok?" Callie shook her head. Spike furrowed his brow and then smiled.

"Callie Honey. No one is going to get you. You are ok. You will be around alot of people you know. And Jules, who is also SRU will be there as well with you all. Go out, do a little shopping, have lunch have some fun for awhile. And remember to keep the reciepts." Callie bit her lip and nodded reluctantly. Spike smiled and handed over his credit card. Callie ran upstairs to her purse, along with her phone. After the girls left, Spike turned to the guys.

"I have a really bad feeling about this guys. Maybe i'm just being overprotective, but that guy, I saw him across the street. Give's me the creeps. I am really trying hard not to run a background check on him. Part of me wants to and say hell with it." Ed and Wordy came back a few minutes after the girls had left.

"The house across the street belongs to Archie Spaulding. Head of security for Michaels Enterprises. Very sparse in furnishings though. I think the guy's only here for a short while." Spike started laughing. Ed was confused.

"Nice. I wanted to run the background check. Ed and Wordy beat me to it." They shared a laugh over it.

"I wonder what the guy wants with Callie though. I mean-"It was as if a lightbulb suddenly went on in Spike's head.

"You said Michael's enterprises Ed?" Ed nodded.

"Alessandra's father owns and runs it. Before Alessandra died, she was the only heir to the fortune. If he's sending someone after Callie, that must mean that he wants her to take the place of his daughter. Not going to happen. I will die before I let him take her." the others nodded. They turned to the arduous task of installing the locks, smoke detectors and waited for the guy to show up for the Burglary system.


	8. Chapter 8

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 8

A few days later, Callie was walking from her school to meet Clark at the corner before walking to the pizza parlor to meet Sophie and Izzy, Clark's little sister for pizza. Callie was excited. She and Clark kinda sorta liked each other and would go for Pizza dates. They weren't really dates in the dating sense of the word, they were more like hanging out with a friend. The only downside is they were usually chaperoned by Sophie. Not that Callie Minded. Sophie was really nice and usually gave them space by sitting at a different table. It was better than the one and only time that their fathers had joined them for pizza. Callie shuddered remembering it.

Life had sure turned around for Callie in the year that she had known everyone. She'd survived wanting to kill herself, gained several friends, gained a father, had Mr. Sanchez arrested for what he had been doing to her, Found a place where she belonged. Life was going great for her. She was still a little sad that she would never really know her Birth Mother, But she had her father in her life, and that was good enough for her.

So lost in her thoughts, Callie had failed to notice the guy that was following really close behind her. He seemed rather harmless to the casual bystander. Just a guy who was out for a stroll down the sidewalk. The only thing that was missing was a girlfriend or kid or even a dog. What he was really doing though was spying on Callie, Plotting the perfect chance to make his presence known to her, even though he knew that he wasn't allowed to do that just yet.

The guy had his orders for now. He was to watch her, gather information about her, but not approach her. His employer merely wanted information. He didn't want her yet. The guy would abide by his orders. He raised his camera again and got off a couple more shots of Callie. He scooted up closer, about to take more when Callie started running towards a tall boy with black hair. He shrank back.

"Clark! Hey. How was school?" Clark hugged Callie and swung her around before setting her down, kissing her nose and taking her hand. He was 15 and Callie was 14. It seemed natural to hold her hand. Clark felt protective towards her in addition to liking her. He pulled on her braid making her squeak.

"School was ok. We are going to start chemistry experiments tomorrow. I can't wait. I want to ask Spike for some help with Chemistry homework today if we go to Headquarters and he's available. They've been pretty busy with calls the last few days. I have hardly seen my father. But he has off tomorrow. I think that Spike is off tomorrow too. I don't know. How was your day?" Callie told him that it was ok, nothing spectacular. Clark pointed ahead.

"There's my mom waiting for us. Come on. I am so hungry. I'll race you." Callie took off after him, laughing. When they reached her, they were both out of breath and laughing hysterically. Sophie smiled at them. Callie poked Clark in the side hard making him jump.

"You are supposed to let me win Clark." Clark laughed and gave her a weird look.

"Since when Callie?" Callie smiled.

"Since I am a girl and guys always want to be nice to girls. It's not nice to be mean to them and you know it." She smiled and hugged Sophie. They went in, ordered their food and sat down. Clark and Callie sitting at one table, and Sophie sitting at another table with a book. Izzy wasn't with her today. Sophie had dropped her off at Ed's parents for the afternoon, in order to have a day to herself.

Sophie had decided that after she dropped the kids at headquarters, she was going to pick up Shelly and they were going to go shopping. She was pulled from her thoughts, when she saw a guy approach Clark and Callie and start talking to them. She put her book away and took out a pen and wrote some notes on a napkin, stood up and walked over to them casually placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Clark honey, Callie. It's time to get going. Your fathers wanted me to swing by the station for something. Clark said he wanted to ask Spike a question Clark, why don't you get a box for the rest of that. Can I help you with something Sir?" The gentleman had been standing a little too close to Callie for her comfort. He sneered at her.

"No I'm talking to this young lady here. Asking her a couple questions. No harm, no foul." Sophie knew this was the guy who had showed up at Spike's door trying to get Callie to go with him. She tried to play it cool. She spotted on of the father's of a team member of Clark's hockey team and tilted her chin. He got up and walked over.

"Hey Sophie. Hey there Clark. You must be Callie, I have had a lot about you. You look just like Spike, only prettier. Very pleased to meet you." Callie shook his hand. Sophie took her chance. She stepped a little closer and raised her voice slightly while maintaining eye contact.

"Sir, I think it's time you leave. It's really not appropriate for you to be in this building trying to pick up young girls. You sound and look like a pervert." At the word pervert, the other man took a step forward and several other parents got up. Sophie made use of the distraction and slipped the guys camera into her purse. It was a relatively small camera. She held out a hand to Callie, and they left the building getting in the car and driving towards the station.

"Clark, Callie. Come on. We are going to go talk to your fathers right away." When they got to the station, they got out, seeing the trucks were there and all seemed quiet. She walked right up to Winnie's desk, waving at Jules and Sam who were talking while working out in the weight room together.

"Hey Sophie. Hi Clark, Callie. What's up?" Sophie smiled a tight smile.

"Winnie, are Ed and Spike here? As well as Greg? It's rather urgent and important that I talk to them as soon as possible." Winnie nodded and put in a call for Greg to come up to the front desk. Moment's later, Greg showed up.

"Sophie. What's going on? Hi Clark, Callie. What's wrong?" Sophie shook her head. He showed them to one of the briefing rooms, told them to make themselves comfortable and called Spike and Ed in. They came in a moment later.

"Honey? What's wrong? Greg said you looked upset. Is something wrong with Izzy? Where is she anyway? Did you drop her off with my parents? Clark looks ok, so does Callie. You guys ARE ok right?" They nodded.

"Izzy is fine. Yes, She's with your parents. Ed. That weird guy that came to Spike's door the other day showed up at the pizza parlor. That's why we are here so early. I pulled them out of the pizza parlor. He walked right up to Callie and Clark and started talking to her." Ed, Greg, and Spike exchanged glances.

"Dad. He just walked right up to us, stuck his stupid camera in my face and snapped my picture with it. It's just a little creepy. Enough to make me not want to go anywhere anymore." Spike sat up straighter. Sophie spoke quickly.

"Mark and his father were there as well and he came over to say hi. I kind of insinuated that the guy was a pervert coming into the pizza parlor to pick up young girls and Mark's father got a little pissed. I took the guys camera. I also got a fairly decent description on the guy too. " She pulled out the tiny camera and handed it over to Spike, who looked at the camera with Glee. She handed the napkin to Ed. Spike muttered something about dissecting the camera and developing the film and walked off, kissing Callie on the head as he went by. Ed and Greg shrugged and talked to Callie for a couple more minutes.

"Callie. What did the guy say to you exactly? It's very important that we know." Callie thought a moment.

"He said that I was a very hard person to track down and that the school wouldn't let him to talk to me. He just wanted to talk to me. He said he would be in touch. He said it was very important that he talk to me. I told him to leave me alone and he said that he couldn't do that. That he had orders." She shivered, despite the warm weather outside. Ed nodded.

"This is starting to go a little too far. I am going to that guy's house and warn him off. He's starting to piss me off and mess with my family. I don't like it and It's going to stop here. Don't even think about telling me not to Greg." He was about to say more when Spike came running in holding a stack of photos.

"Greg, Ed. This weird freak is stalking my daughter! Look at these! Jesus." He passed the stack to Ed and Greg and watched them flip through the whole stack. Callie took Clark's hand and held it. She was starting to get scared.

"How the hell was he able to get THAT picture? That's inside the fucking school for Christ's Sake! I thought that school had a better policy against intruders." Ed shouted. Callie Snatched the picture from Ed's fingers and covered her mouth in shock. It was a picture of her standing in the girls locker room stark naked because she had been changing for Gym class. Just then they were interrupted by Wordy and Shelly.

"Soph. Shelly came over because you are supposed to go shopping together. You never called. What's wrong?" Spike handed him the stack of photos. Callie got up and ran out of the room. Spike started to go after her, when Clark ran after her, so did Jules, who had been listening silently. Explaining quickly, Spike filled Shelly and Wordy in.

"Remember that guy that was trying to get Callie to go with him? He's stalking her. He's even been inside her school. And somehow he managed to get a picture of her inside the girls locker room. She's upset. I don't know what to do other than threatening the guy." Ed held up a couple other pictures.

"Callie's only 14 years. these pictures and the other one are all of her, with nudity showing. Do you realize what these pictures are Spike? Besides being disgusting that is." Spike thought for a moment. Wordy spoke up.

"Child Porn Spike. He's taking child porn. We have grounds to arrest him for this. Anyone feel like going for a drive." Spike and Ed nodded, wanting and intending to do some serious bodily harm. Greg held up a hand.

"Wait! We aren't taking a ride. this is too personal for all of us. I'm going to give a friend in Vice a call and explain the situation and tell them to pick up our little friend. Let them take care of it. They are not personally involved so there will no hint on impropriety. Do you understand me guys? Guys, I asked if you understood me?" They nodded.

"Ok then. I'll go make that phone call." After Greg left, Spike turned on his heel and went to the restroom and proceeded to throw up. He was in the process of washing out his mouth when Ed came in.

"Sophie took Callie and is going to drop her at your Mom's. I already called your mom and briefly explained what happened. She will keep Callie until 10pm and then take her over to your house and stay there until you get home. Callie is ok and we are going to do everything that we can to make damn sure that she stays that way." Spike nodded his thanks. Ed continued.

"Your mom said that she is going to start picking Callie up directly from school. Clark and Callie aren't going to be happy with that. But it needs to be done. Maybe we can arrange their pizza thing and turn it into family night or something." Spike nodded. They talked for a moment before leaving the locker room. On their way to the briefing room, Sam stopped them.

"There you are Spike. I just got off of the phone with a guy who said that he is on his way here to speak to you and Callie. Something about a proposal of some sort. Wouldn't give me his name though. Just thought I would give you a heads up in case it's trouble." Spike nodded.

"Thanks. How soon did he say that he was going to be here Sam?"

"Yeah. He said that he should he be here in about 20 minutes. He will have two people with him. His wife and a bodyguard. Do you want me to show him in when he gets here?" Spike nodded and went off to work on Babycakes for a few minutes. The one thing that would calm his frayed nerves right now.

While he worked, He thought about how lucky he had been to have recieved a chance to get to know his daughter. He felt so blessed to have found her that he didn't want to let her go. But he knew that at the same time, he couldn't smother her. Nor would Callie allow it. She took after his mother in that respect. Independent as hell.

A half an hour later, Spike's musings were interrupted when Sam came in where he was working and tapped him on the shoulder. He stood up, wiping off his forehead. Sam handed him a bottle of water.

"Yeah thanks Samtastic. What's up?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"That guy is here to visit with you. And just so you know, they are pretty uptight and stuck up. Snobbish, you know what I mean? The woman treated me like I was a worthless servant, ordering me around. They asked to see you directly and that you NOT keep them waiting. They want to see you immediately." Spike nodded and handed the bottle of water back to Sam and asked him to please bring them to the briefing room. Sam agreed and left.

A few minutes later, a man and woman walked into the briefing room and stood just inside the door. The second man, stood outside the doorway, preventing anyone else from entering. Spike didn't like that. However he looked at the older couple.

"Marcus, Eileen. This is definitely a surprise to see you here in Toronto. You usually stay in where? Ah yes. New York City. So what is it that brings you out this way? The last time we saw each other, It was your bodyguard tossing me out on my rear end because I was trying to find your daughter." He waited, having had a lot of time to cultivate infinite patience. He suspected what they were here for, but he wanted them to come to him.

"Michaelangelo. Yes. We hadn't anticipated on seeing you again either. But there was a matter brought to our attention and we thought it best to dispatch of it in person. Politeness dictates we ask you how you are doing." Eileen Michaels stood ramrod stiff with her lips pursed. Spike knew that neither of them cared how he was doing and told them so.

"I know neither of you care how I am doing, so skip the pleasentries and tell me what you want. There has to be something that you want, otherwise you would have just sent someone here to 'dispatch' whatever the problem is and not troubled yourself." They looked at him like a bug to be squashed. Suddenly he heard Callie's voice.

"I just want to tell dad something real fast. Oh! Sorry dad, I didn't know you were in a meeting. I'll come back later if you want." Spike nodded and Callie ran off looking for Ed. After Spike, Callie was closer to Ed. Spike found that funny considering when she first met Ed, he scared her. His attention was drawn back to Marcus and Eileen who both had white faces.

"That was Callie, my daughter. Anyway, you were saying." Eileen sat down and Marcus looked at Spike.

"She looks just like Alessandra did at that age. The resemblence is uncanny. No matter though. That is why we are here Michaelangelo. We've come to take Callie home to the United States with us. We leave tomorrow night." He smiled self satisfyingly at Spike and dared him to question the validity of that statement.

Spike felt like the floor had been taken out from under him. There was no way in hell that they were taking Callie with them. He was just about to reply when the alarm sounded. He stood listened for a moment. The call wasn't for his team. He turned his attention back to Marcus.

"No." Marcus looked confused.

"What did you say? I don't think I heard you correctly." Spike laughed out loud.

"You heard me correctly Marcus. You don't like to be told no. I am saying No. You are not taking my daughter with you anywhere at anytime. Hey Greg, can you come here for a minute please?" Eileen jumped up.

"This is not a proper place for a lady. Callie needs to take her rightful place in our family. We can give her so much more than you could possibly ever give her." Spike stood up just as Greg walked in.

"I want you both to leave and take your bodyguard with you. You are not going to be taking Callie anywhere. I would rather you not be able to have any contact with her at all but I'm not that cruel. I will not allow you to turn her into Alessandra all over again. Yes you can give her material things. You can not and will not give her love, because you have none in you to give. Greg, please get them out of here. Where's Callie at?" Greg nodded ad gestured to the door. Eileen and Marcus refused to budge.

"She's in the weight room with Ed, He's teaching her more self defense. I think she wants to test for her first belt soon. Lord know's she will need it. I almost feel sorry for Clark. If you will both follow me, I will show you out." Neither of them moved. Spike started to walk out of the room. Marcus grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"You are so foolish. The courts will side with us. We have a stable home environment. Two parents. Everything she could ever want. In fact the courts have already sided with us. We were hoping to not have to go to court, but we will." Spike pulled his arm free and walked out of the room. He went to the weight room and was just in time to see Callie toss Ed on his back smoothly. He smiled. Callie saw him and jumped up. She hugged him tightly.

"Dad. who were those people?" He shushed her and said that they would talk about it when they got home. Thinking back he raised an eyebrow.

"How did you get back here? Don't tell me you walked." Callie shook her head. Spike waited for an answer.

"No. Grandma dropped me off. I wanted to be around you. I was feeling insecure. I'm ok now. I kicked Ed's butt. My day is now complete." Ed laughed on his way by.

"Yes you did. Why don't you go pester Wordy for a while. I think he's in the yard doing some laps. I bet he'd love it if you pestered him."Callie nodded and ran out the door, intent on finding Wordy. Ed stepped into the lockerroom and found Spike sitting there.

"Spike. What's wrong? Who were those people that came to see you?" Spike looked at him with tears in his eyes.

"They were Alessandra's parents. They want to take Callie back with them to the United States. Somehow I don't think they will take no for an answer."


	9. Chapter 9

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 9

Ed felt like someone had hauled off and punched him in the stomach. No, Callie wasn't his daughter, But he still cared about her as if she were. It's what they did for each other's children. Those that had children. He cared what happened to her. He put his hand on Spike's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry. Look obviously you aren't just going to allow them to walk all over you. I caught a glimpse of them. They look like they are pretty used to saying jump and everyone shouting how high ma'am. I hate people who act like they have a sense of entitlement. And they act it. Sophie and I will help however we can. You know that. You also know that everyone else will as well." Spike nodded.

"I know that Ed and I really appreciate it. It's just- I don't know. They have money. Alot of money. They CAN give her everything but love. I can give her love. I'm not rich but I really do try my hardest to give her what I can. And I know Callie appreciate's what I give her." Ed cut him off with a mere look.

"And you do a damn good job of it. Forget Alessandra's parents. They are nothing. They are angry because they made Alessandra give Callie up, and now that they need an heir, they come sniffing around. Probably because they want to give the impression that they are the perfect family. I'd like to see them pull that off!" Spike nodded. Ed was right. Ed smiled.

"Don't worry Spike. This will all work out the way that it's meant to work out. I have absolute and complete faith that you will make it work out. Maybe what you should do is talk to Callie about it and see how she feels about seeing-" The alarm cut him off. They stood and ran out the door as one.

"TEAM ONE SUIT UP! HOT CALL! GUNSHOTS REPORTED AT 2265 ROSELAWN. 2-2-6-5 ROSELAWN. MORE INFORMATION ON THE FLY." Spike kissed Callies cheek as he ran by. The sound of slamming doors filling the air.

"Bye guys. Stay safe! Winnie? Since there's no telling when dad will be back, I'm going to go in the briefing room and settle down to do my homework. Is that ok?" She started to walk off without waiting for an answer, but Winnie cut her off and stopped her.

"Nope. No can do Callie. Your father said you are to stay in this area. You can do your homework here and keep me company. Callie nodded and settled in to do her homework with Winnie keeping a close eye on her. She knew that Spike's visitors were still on the premises despite being told to leave, and Spike has said that he did not want Callie alone with them at all. She wasn't one to question things, no matter how odd they were.

Callie only half listened to the call as the team was working. She was more interested in her homework. She heard Spike's voice alot as he was sitting in the command truck running checks and trying to help with getting eyes where they needed them. She was pulled from her thoughts by a slightly irritated voice.

"When will Michaelangelo be back? We have very important business to discuss with him. I can not believe that he would order us to leave and then leave the building as if we were nothing. He obviously doesn't remember who we are. And to leave his daughter sitting here with- with common help is disgraceful!" Eileen said. Winnie clenched her jaw and said nothing acting like they weren't there. Callie continued to listen to the call, Not bothering to bite her tongue, just waiting for the right moment.

"Hello? I asked you a question! The very least you can do is give me an answer. You don't strike me as someone who is very stupid. Ugh- How hard is it to answer a question. Hello? Are you deaf or just not smart?" Callie saw tears prick Winnie's eyes, nodded to herself and stood up just as Troy, a member of Team three, walked in to get dressed.

"You know. You are such an undeniable bitch. I don't know who you are, why you are here or why you want to see my father, but you have NO RIGHT to talk to Winnie like that. She's a lot nicer than you will ever be. She puts up with alot from visitors to this station as well as being responsible for feeding information to the teams when they are on calls. Show her some respect!" Eileen gasped and Marcus was about speak when Callie cut him off, holding up her hand to quiet him.

"I wasn't finished speaking. He will be back when the call is over. My father does a lot for the people of this city. He is in this business to save lives. Not get glory from it. If you are here to make trouble for him, I suggest that you walk right the hell out that door." She sat down, ignored them and turned around to go back to her homework. Troy came back dressed and ready for his shift, which would begin when team one got back.

"Hi Troy. How are you?" Winnie asked trying to diffuse the tension. Troy shot a glance at the couple still standing there and rolled his eyes. Old, rich and very used to getting their way. He was used to them. He came from a family that was very similar in terms of attitude and rudeness. The only differencenwas that he had managed to get away and live his life while maintaining a somewhat decent relationship with his parents. He looked back at Winnie.

"I'm good Winnie. I can't complain. I have a beautiful wife who is going to make me a daddy in 7 months. I have a house, food on my table. And alot of love. Hey Callie. You are SO busted when Spike gets back. You know he keeps telling you to watch your language." Callie stuck her tongue out at him.

"If I pin you in less than five minutes, will you tell." Troy laughed.

"Yep. Always. Don't expect me to keep secrets sweetie. You should know better by now. A young lady shouldn't swear. It makes guys not respect her. Of course there are guys who don't respect women in general. You're too sweet to swear." Callie sighed and rolled her eyes at him. Troy just laughed and pulled up a chair.

After a couple hours, Callie was falling asleep. She faintly heard Troy talking to the rest of team three and wondered when team one was going to be back. They were off shift so to speak three hours ago. But callie knew this would happen. Winnie had reported that they were still negotiating. Suddenly she heard the best words that she'd heard all day.

"Situation contained. We are heading back to the station. Loss of life, zero." She laid her head down on her arms and fell asleep at the desk, not bothering to wait up any longer. She knew Spike would wake her when he was ready to leave. But that wouldn't be for at least 2 more hours. They still had to debrief.

"Hey Winnie. Was she any trouble?" Spike asked as soon as they were done debriefing. He had worried a little leaving Callie in the same building as Alessandra's parents, but he'd had no choice. He was not about to take her into the field with him. That wasn't even an option and Callie knew it. He knew that Winnie would look after her for him though. Winnie shook her head.

"Absolutely not. She never is and you know it. Your visitors left about an hour ago. Callie kinda got into it with them. I'll let her tell you all the fascinating details. Go easy on her is my advice. Are you heading home now Spike?" Spike nodded and put Callie's bookbag on his back and hefted his bag as well. He motioned that he was going to drop the bags in his car and come back for Callie. He didn't really want to wake her.

When he came back in from the car, Winnie was digging around on the desk looking for something so he wandered off to use the bathroom before leaving to go home. Callie had woken up and was gathering her stuff while waiting on Spike to get finished in the bathroom. When he did, Winnie flagged him down.

"Spike. Your visitors left this for you. Said that you needed to look at it immediately and call them with details as to when. If you want my honest opinion Spike. They were rude, snobby and absolute jerks to boot. They did nothing the entire time that they were here after you left except treat me like I was a common servant. If Callie hadn't laid into them, I would have." Spike nodded.

"I will take care of this tomorrow. I'm off. I plan on sleeping in and relaxing, spending the day with Callie and doing some food shopping with her. I also have to talk to her as well about a couple things. Thanks Winnie. For everything you do. I know we never thank you enough."Winnie smiled and waved him away.

The next day, After Spike was sure that Callie was up and dressed and awake enough to understand what he was going to say, he went to Callie's room and sat in the desk chair to have a chat with her. Callie was sitting on the bed reading. When Spike sat down, Callie looked at him. Spike had an odd look on his face.

"Hi Dad. What's up?" Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Well Troy told me the most fascinating story last night when I got back from that call. Something about you getting into it with a couple of visitors to the station yesterday. He said you had a few choice words. I told him, 'oh no. It couldn't have been my daughter. Callie would never say those words to complete strangers.' So I'm asking you. What did you say. And if you did say those words, what were you thinking?" Callie blushed.

"They were being rude to Winnie and saying nasty things about you. I felt I had to defend you. I don't know them. But they were so rude. It's not how the Sanchezes raised me and it's not how you and grandma and grandpa are raising me. You aren't rude just because something is not going your way. Who were they anyway?" Spike felt like hitting himself in the forehead. On one hand he was glad Callie saw what they were really like. On the other though he knew she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"Callie Honey. While I appreciate the idea that you really felt as though you had to defend me, You should not have mouthed off to them. Those two people, are your mother's parents. So that would make them your biological grandparents on your mom's side."Callie jumped off of the bed and shreiked loudly.

"Thank God you found me first! I'd probably have to kill myself if I had to live with them. Why were they visiting you at the station? From what I heard, and yes dad I was eavesdropping, they don't like you and you don't like them very much. So why put themselves through the hassle instead of staying away?"Spike bit his lip. There was not going to be an easy way around this mess.

"They came to see me at the station yesterday because they want to take you back to the United States with them. If they do, they are leaving the day after tomorrow. They have petitioned a court for Sole legal custody. Do you know what that means?" Callie moved her hand in a so-so gesture. Spike nodded. He sat down on the bed and faced her so he could try to explain it to her.

"It means that if I don't call up an attorney and put a stop to it, they will be taking you back to the United States with them and I will not be able to see you ever again unless they agree to it. I don't want that. I have only just found you and I am not letting you out of my life without a fight! I really don't think that they are the right people to take care of you." Callie nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok. I'm going to call Clark and see if he wants to hang out today. Would it be ok if he could, that we be allowed to go to the Mall Dad?" Spike thought about it for a moment. He nodded. He even said that he would drive them. He left to give Callie privacy and went downstairs to make himself a sandwich.

While he waited to hear if Clark was coming, Spike gave a call to the family attorney. Seth McCraken was a long time family friend. He and Spike's father had grown up together, and when he had attained his license to practice Law, he said anytime that any member of the family needed legal advice, to call him and he'd help in any way if he could. Spike was sure that he could. He reached Seth's secretary and set up an appointment for that afternoon. Which meant that someone else would have to take them to the mall while he met with an attorney. He called Ed.

"Hello?"

"Ed. It's Spike. Listen. Callie wants to go to the mall and is inviting Clark. Would you or someone else be able to take them? I have a meeting with an attorney this afternoon or I would do it. I know it's your day off too." Ed yawned into the phone and Spike could hear Sophie saying something in the background.

"Sam called me asking if I wanted to go to the mall. I said no. Call him and see if he wouldn't mind. I want to spend time with my wife. If you catch my drift. I don't get many chances to spend time with my wife." Spike Laughed, said he caught it and hung up. He then picked up his phone and called Sam.

"Yeah. Hi Spike. How's it going?" Spike smiled.

"Hey Sam. Are you still planning on going to the mall? Because Callie wants to go and is inviting Clark. I'd take them but I have an appointment with an attorney this afternoon. I know it's imposing on you alot. But I wouldn't ask if I didn't have this appointment." He could hear Sam laughing on the other end.

"Absolutely. Tell Callie I will be there in 20 minutes. I'll pick her up first. The three of us will have fun. I hardly ever get to spend tim with the kid. She's a sweetie. Polite to a fault. See you when I get there." They hung up and Spike opened up the documents that Alessandra's parents had left for him.

At first glance, they seemed legit. Spike put them back in the folder so Callie wouldn't see them and get upset. He called up the stairs to let Callie know that Sam was taking them and that he had an appointment with an attorney. Callie came down and waited.

"Hey Anyone Home?" Sam poked his head in the door. He could hear Callie laughing. Spike was trying to do something. Sam walked in.

"Hey Sam! How are you doing today? Thank you for offering to take us to the mall. We have to pick up Clark at home. I told him we'd be there in like 15 minutes. Is that ok?" Sam nodded. He shot a look at Spike, raising an eyebrow and nodded his head towards Callie. Spike nodded.

"Callie honey . Would you be willing to please go upstairs and grab my wallet. I think I left it on my dresser again. You know that I am not going to get anywhere without my wallet. Thank you. And while you are at it, Please take out my white dress shirt from the closet and set it on the bed." Callie took the stairs two at a time. Spike turned to Sam.

"What is it Sam?" Sam beckoned him to follow. Sam followed him to the Window. Sam pointed through the curtains to a White van that was sitting on the side of the road, by the house across the street. Spike knew that the guy who had been staying at that house had cleared out fast. Spike's eyes widened. He turned to Sam.

"They are watching the house. I snuck over and listened in. They are documenting every move that you and Callie make. You might want to call the cops to investigate. Not SRU. But the regular cops." Spike nodded. Just then Callie came down the stairs.

"Dad. Here's your wallet. I set out your shirt, I also set out your Green tie." She handed it to him and wandered off to get a drink or water. Spike took out $200 and gave it to her when she came back. She put it in her purse and Sam and Callie left to go pick up Clark and go to the mall.

Spike glanced at the clock, and went up to take a quick shower. He needed to get cleaned up and dressed to go to the Lawyer's office. After getting dressed. He saw that he had an hour before he was expected. He grabbed his wallet, and keys, locked the door and armed the security alarm, shut the door, got in the car and left.


	10. Chapter 10

Anytime you need a Friend:

Chapter 10

Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews. They make my day. Keep them coming. I had a couple extra chapters written and wasn't going to post them for a while, but I wanted to. =D. Enjoy.

A couple of weeks passed with no further word from Eileen and Marcus. Spike was relieved. He had really hoped that they had given up on the idea of taking Callie back to the United States with them and had left town. Mysteriously, the day after Sam had pointed out the White Van, it vanished. Spike knew that Sam had had something to do with it and was relieved that Sam took care of it so he wouldn't have to.

It was now officially summer vacation for Callie. She had finished up with School and had passed into the next grade. That meant come September, she would be in High School. She was excited, but also nervous. But she wasn't going to worry about it until she had to go School shopping in August.

Since Callie was on vacation, Spike was in a real bind as to what to do with her when he was at work. His mom and dad were in Italy for the next three weeks. Surprisingly, Callie had suddenly not wanted to know. Spike had been a little concerned, but promised himself that he wouldn't interfere in his daughter's life too much. He suspected that the reason was because his daughter had fallen for Clark.

Callie was only 14 so she wasn't old enough to get even a part time job. And Spike didn't think that she could stay at the house alone all the time. So today, since he had to work, Callie was coming to work with him. Spike was standing in the kitchen, cooking eggs when Callie came downstairs, dropping a Duffle Bag on the floor and sitting down in a huff at the table.

"I don't see why I have to come to work with you all the time! I'm 14. I should be allowed to stay home alone!" Spike rolled his eyes and didn't say a word. He was learning his lesson very quickly about pissy teenagers. no matter what you said, you were wrong. period.

"When Grandma and Grandpa come back, you won't have to. You can go over there. Callie. You are 14. I am not comfortable leaving you in the house alone for over 12 hours. I said that I would try to get used to the concept and try it out a few times over the summer. But you have to meet me half way Callie and you know it. This is not easy for me. I've never had to deal with a teenager all the time before. But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." Callie wrinkled her nose in response.

"At least I am bringing some books and my laptop with me and some snacks. I won't be going completely nuts. Which is good. I just. I don't know. we spend so much time together, I feel suffocated." Spike laughed at that.

"I will teach you to cook at some point honey. I was putting dinner together and cooking all by myself by the time I was your age. It's time you learned. Once I am satisfied that you can fend for yourself food wise, I will start being ok with leaving you by yourself. Until then. Tough." Callie sighed and ate her breakfast quickly. Once they were finished, Spike did the dishes real quick and got ready for work.

When they got to the station, Callie simply said she was heading out to the yard and left without another word. Spike tried to hold onto his temper. Callie was being a bit disrespectful not saying hi to anyone, but he would let it slide for now. He turned to go to the lockerroom and came face to face with Wordy.

"Hey Wordy. How's it going? How was your vacation? Where was it that you and Shelly went and took the girls?" Wordy smiled.

"Hi Spike. Vacation was great. just what I needed. Shelly and I took the girls to Niagra Falls, we aldo made a road trip out of like 5 days, picniking and hiking. It was good spending time with the family. The rest of it was spent loafing around the house. Both the Canadian Side and the United States side of Niagra Falls. Now we can say that we've been to both sides. How are things with Callie. She looked a little rough when she walked by." Spike sighed.

"She's a little upset that she can't stay home alone. I'm just not comfortable with it yet. My parents are in Italy for like three weeks. She doesn't know how to cook for herself, What would she eat? Cold Cereal. Honestly. I think the attitude she's had lately stems from us being around each other all the time. I think we seriously need a break from each other." Wordy laughed out loud and nodded.

"Yeah. Why don't you try 2 days a week that she can be home alone. She's not stupid. She will learn to cook on her own eventually. I used to stay by myself on occassion when I was 13. Younger than her even. Try it tomorrow. I know you have to work tomorrow. She's smart. She knows everyone's numbers. Has keys to your mom and dad's place. A key to your place obviously. The little store isn't too far from your place, Ed and Sophie live one street over, Shelly is 3 streets over. She'll be fine Spike. You have to let her grow up someday." Spike nodded.

Wordy was right. But Spike didn't want to let her grow up just yet. He hadn't had the years to build a relationship with her like he wanted. It could be worse though. Callie could have not wanted anything at all to do with him when he told her he was her father. He thanked his stars that she did want something to do with him.

"I will try. Bear with me Wordy. I'm going to be a nervous wreck when I leave her at home. You know that right?" Wordy just laughed and walked into the Locker room to get dressed. Spike peeked out the back door into the yard and saw Callie sitting comfortably under a shady tree. He was satisfied that she was alright and he hurried to finish getting ready.

"Hey Spike. How are you doing? How's Callie?" Sam asked sitting down to put his boots on. Spike shrugged as he buttoned up his shirt.

"I'm good. Callie on the other hand probably hates me. She's currently outside under the tree doing her own thing. I am beginning to think we need a vacation away from each other. She really resents having to come here with me today. Wordy says to try leaving her at home a couple days a week. I don't know- I guess I'm too, nervous." Sam laughed.

"Yeah. You are. But that's ok. She needs time away from you. Otherwise you're both going to go nuts. Seriously. FYI. It's suposed to be a scorcher today so make sure you make her come in often so she doesn't get dehydrated or sun poisoned." Spike nodded and headed out of the lockerroom and to the briefing room.

"Ok team. Today is going to be a scorcher. People's tempers will flare over the littlest thing. We are going to do some patroling today let people know we are here. Ed with Wordy. Jules with me and Sam you go with Spike. Ok let's keep the peace." Greg said dismissing them. Spike went to go see where Callie had gotten off to.

She was still sitting under the shady tree, dozing. Spike went out to check on her before going on patrol with Sam.

"Callie? Callie you awake?" Callie sat up and stretched.

"Yeah Dad. I'm awake. I think I'm going to come inside now. It's too hot out. I'm starting to feel yucky." Spike helped her pick up her items and walked with her back inside. When they got inside, Callie almost ran everyone over to get to the bathroom. Concerned, Spike was going to follow her, when Jules held up her hand.

"I got this one. She was probably just out in the sun for too long. She'll be fine. Besides, Girls only." She smirked. Spike nodded and waited. After a few minutes, Jules came out behind Callie. She steered Callie towards the briefing room, where it was quiet and cool, gave her a cool, wet cloth and went to get a glass of something to drink for her.

"Spike. She's really sick to her stomach and has a fever. She's probably got that nasty flu bug that's been going around for awhile. The one that Ed was sick with. The same one that got Sam. She'll be fine." Spike nodded and went into the briefing room.

Callie was laying on her side, curled up and looking rather miserable. Spike squatted down next to her and placed his hand on her forehead. Drawing it back quick when he felt how hot she was. Jules came in with a bucket, and a glass of water and a glass of juice. After she left with Greg on patrol, Spike leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Daddy? I don't feel good. I'm so cold. How can that be? It's hot outside. Spike didn't know what to do. He didn't have a blanket of any sort. He got his spare towel out of the locker room and put that over her. It helped but not much. He smoothed her hair back.

"I have to go out on patrol now sweetie. But I'm going to have Winnie check in on you in a little bit. If you feel worse have Winnie let me know. Ok sweetie? I love you." Callie mumbled an answer and closed her eyes. Spike left the room to go on patrol.

After he left, Callie took some tylenol and tried to rest. She was so cold. She pulled the towel up near her face and tried to burrow under it. She had never felt this lousy before. She wanted to go home and just burrow under her blankets and never come out. She started crying.

"Hey there Callie. Hey, Hey, why are you crying?" She looked up to see Troy standing there. He laid her head back down.

"I don't feel good. I wanna go home. I'm so cold." Troy felt her forehead, wincing when he felt how hot her head was. He left the room and came back like 10 minutes later. He had a pair of socks and a blanket that he had in the trunk of his car. It was brand new and warm. He didn't think Callie would object.

"Callie honey, give me your feet please. I have a pair of socks that you can put on your feet. There you go. I also have a blanket that I just picked up from the store. It's better than that towel. Should help keep you warmer honey. There ya go, better?" Callie nodded and took a sip of juice. Troy smiled.

"Yes. Thank you Troy. Why are you here? Team Three doesn't come on until 7 tonight." Troy smiled.

"I know. I came to get a couple items from my locker. I'm off tonight. Winnie said you were here and not feeling well so I thought I would come check on you. we all think of you as a member of the family. Try to get some rest. You might feel better after you rest a little." Callie nodded and burrowed under the blanket, thankful that it was a fat and fluffy blanket. She closed her eyes and slept.

_Several hours later:_

"What do you mean that she hasn't been off that couch since I left. Winnie, We've been on patrol for the last 4 hours before we headed in so I could check on her. Didn't you check on her?" Winnie replied that she had several times.

"I kept waking her and asking her if she needed anything, did she need help going to the bathroom. She kept saying no. She's drank a little bit of juice and very little water. I kept trying to push the fluids but I don't think she's feeling it. Troy came in about 20 minutes after you left and gave her the blanket. She fell asleep and hasn't budged since." Spike nodded and moved into the briefing room.

Callie lay there, burrowed under the blanket. If she wasn't sick, Spike would have laughed at how silly she looked burrowed in the blanket. He peeled off the top of the blanket and peeked in to see if Callie was waking up. She didn't look it. He shook her gently.

"Callie? Callie honey, wake up. You need to get up and drink some water and go to the bathroom. Callie? Wake up." Slowly Callie unburrowed herself from the blanket. She sat up and took the glass of ice water Spike had drinking it slowly. Her hair was sticking up everywhere, and she looked all sweaty. Spike felt her forehead.

"You feel a little cooler now. Do you feel any better after having slept awhile?" Callie wiggled her hand in a so-so manner. Spike nodded. He sat on the couch and held Callie against his chest, letting her doze.

"Daddy? I'm Sorry." It came out as an awful croak and Callie rubbed her throat. Spike raised an eyebrow and looked at her. She looked like she was about to cry and he decided to spare her the pain of explaining why she was sorry. "My throat hurts, in case you couldn't tell."

"Yes Sweetie? I can tell your throat really hurts. You sound really lovely right now. If you aren't feeling any better by tomorrow I'm taking you to the doctor." Callie nodded miserably. Just then Ed came in.

"Hey Callie. How are you feeling. I heard from Winnie and Jules that you're sick probably with the same thing that I had last week. You will probably be over it in like a week. two at the most." Callie nodded.

"I don't feel as bad as I was feeling, so that's good I guess. I'm just cold and my throat hurts. And so does my chest. for that matter. I think I'm going to go to the bathroom." She rubbed her chest absently and stood up. Ed nodded.

"Well if it is what I had, Spike take her to the doctor today. She is going to be needing some antibiotics. I'm sorry that you're sick." Spike nodded. He knew that Ed was right. He turned to Callie.

"Guess you are going to the doctor as soon as I get off work. Definitely after you shower, that's for sure. Your fever broke and you are pretty sweaty as a result. But don't wash your hair." Callie nodded. She wandered off to the bathroom to take a shower. After she was done, she felt a little better, and at least she had remembered to pack some clean clothes so she had fresh clothes to wear when she went to the doctors.

_2 weeks later:_

Two weeks later, Callie was feeling much better. She'd had a really nasty flu bug that forced Spike to leave her at home and have one of his brothers stay with her to avoid the spread of it to everyone else who had not caught it yet. She basically camped out in her room, rested, drank fluids, took her medicine, and enjoyed the time away from her father. Even though she loved him, she was glad that they were apart for awhile.

The last day that she was feeling ill, She didn't feel too badly. Spike's brother, Vito, had called her and said that he would be unable to make it out because he had caught what Callie had, that Spike knew would be on his way home in 3 hours having traded the rest of his shift with someone and that Callie was to stay inside until he got home. Callie was excited. She had 3 hours all to herself in the house. She decided that she would shower and get cleaned up and do some laundry.

Callie decIded that the first order of business was cleaning her room of all the used tissues and other garbage and making her bed after washing her bedsheets. She was feeling great and having a great time cleaning. After she was done cleaning and had a load of laundry in the wash, she ran upstairs to take a shower, after checking to make sure that the door was looked.

After she was done and dressed, she had dried her sheets, made her bed, and was standing at the counter in the kitchen making herself a sandwich. She was famished after not really eating anything for the past two weeks. And she was ok with that. She had just sat down to eat when she heard the front door open. She waited a moment.

"Callie? I'm home. Are you down here?" She smiled.

"Hi Dad. Yeah, I'm at the table eating." Spike came into the dining room and sat down across from Callie. He felt her forehead. She didn't feel like she had a fever. He was glad. He snatched a couple potato chips from her plate laughing when he sucessfully avoided Callie's trying to slap his hand. He stuck his tongue out.

"How are you feeling sweetie? Wordy and Shelly invited the team over for a BBQ, I wanted to see how you were feeling before I committed. Do you want to go to the BBQ? It's at like 6pm. It's up to you though. We don't have to go." Callie smiled.

"I'd love to go. I haven't seen anyone for like two weeks. I'd like to let them know I'm still alive. I miss them. I also missed you today too Dad. I kept myself busy, but I was going nuts not having you hovering over me all the time. But at the same time, I relished the alone time. You look like you managed without me." She laughed and Spike pointed a finger at her.

"I'll have you know that I did fine without you. But I missed you alot too. Ok, I will let Wordy know that he and Shelly can expect us at the BBQ. Is there anything else that you will want to do today? Like maybe go to the store." Callie thought and then shook her head. Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Not really Dad. I'm still kinda tired. I cleaned up my room, washed and dried my laundry, made my bed with fresh sheets, took a shower and made myself something to eat and I am honestly whipped. But I feel better. I'll probably take a nap in a few minutes. I really wanted to go to the mall but I'm not up to it today." Spike nodded. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Spike got up to answer it. A moment later, he came back.

"Callie. Go upstairs please. I'll come get you in a few minutes. Why don't you nap like you said. Love you sweetie." Callie nodded and went upstairs leaving her sandwich on the table. Spike watched her go and then went back to the front door.

"Why are you both here?" He looked at his visitors. Marcus and Eileen stood there looking extremely well put together. They both had smug smiles on their faces and Spike couldn't help but think there was something off about today. He waited.

"You were not returning our phone calls, We sent you a couple letters, they were returned to us. We need to resolve this issue and we need to do it now. I trust you are not busy." Eileen moved forward as if to come into the house and Spike refused to move or allow her access. He nodded his head.

"We have nothing to say to each other. I thought my attorney made it very clear. You are not getting Callie. You are not taking her anywhere. I don't have to return your calls. and I sent the letters back again, because we have nothing to say to each other. As far as I am concerned we do not have an issue that needs resolved. Now if you will excuse me, I have things that need to be done. Good Day." He shut the door and locked it, turning on the Security system.

He went upstairs, because he needed to put his stuff away, and because he wanted to check on Callie. He found her asleep on the couch that was in the room, instead of the bed. He saw that the bed was made and grabbed the extra blanket and covered her up, smiling when she turned over onto her other side, snuffled into the pillow and fell back asleep. He took one more look at her before heading down the hall to take a nap of his own.


	11. Chapter 11

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 11

The summer was going by rather quickly. Another month and Callie would be starting School again. Spike was happy for her because he could tell that she was getting bored not having anything to do with her summer. He could also see all of the ways that Callie had flourished by being in the same house as him. They had their routines. They also respected each other's space.

Spike had taken Wordy's advice from a few weeks ago and Callie had picked two days a week that he had to work and left Callie at home. It was an adjustment for the both of them. But after two weeks, Spike had no problems leaving Callie on her own. It was a welcome break from seeing each other all the time.

Today though, was one of those days where Callie had to go with Spike to the station. When Spike woke up, he had a really weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He just knew that it was going to be a bad day. He got out of bed and looked outside. It was dark, grey and pouring. Wonderful. Nasty weather to add to the feeling that it was going to be a bad day. They had hit an unexpected cold snap in the weather. He heard Callie shuffling to the staircase to her bathroom and got up to do the same.

An hour later he came down the stairs with his bag over his shoulder. Callie's bag was already on the floor next to the table. She was standing at the stove making some eggs and toast. Spike silently got plates and silverware out and set the table. They both learned very quickly about each other that neither of them were morning people so they simply didn't speak for at least 20 minutes after getting up. It worked for them.

"Thank you for breakfast Callie. Tomorrow I will cook breakfast. How did you sleep?" Callie shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. Spike nodded and respected that she didn't. Changing the subject, he asked what she planned to do while he was working. Callie shrugged. Spike raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it. He ate his eggs in silence.

"You know. Last night I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning. Keep having weird dreams. Guess I shouldn't have had that extra slice of pizza." Callie giggled. Spike smiled at her. At least he had gotten a reaction out of her. After they were finished eating, Callie did up the dishes and Spike took the bags out to the car.

"Callie. It's time to get going. I don't want to be late. Do you have everything that you wanted to bring with you? Do you have your light jacket? It's still chilly out today. Which is a welcome relief from the scorching sun. Let's get going." Callie nodded and walked out the door, waiting until Spike locked the door and armed the security system.

When they got to the station, Spikes sense of it going to be a bad day deepened. He couldn't put his finger on it but he tried to shake it off. There was something just really off about the whole day. Callie had already torn out of the car and ran into the station,eager to see everyone. Spike followed at a much slower pace.

"Hi Ed. Have you seen my daughter? I know she ran in here. I think that she was excited to be back here." Ed pointed to the briefing room. Spike raised an eyebrow. Ed rolled his eyes and clarified.

"Sophie had to take Izzy for a check up and Clark didn't want to go or hang out at home. I brought him along. By the way, you have visitors in the other briefing room. I will keep Callie occupied while you talk to them." Spike rolled his eyes and went to get dressed, intending to keep his visitors waiting awhile. When he was finally finished, He peeked in on Callie and Clark and found them chattering away quickly. He made his way to the briefing room, getting stopped by Greg along the way.

"Hey Spike. I tried to tell your visitors that this was not the place for their personal vendettas but they basically told me to butt out that they would be finished today. I don't like it. I know you can't help them showing up here." Spike nodded and put in a call to his attorney. He knew that it was Alessandra's parents because Sam had told him in the lockerroom.

"Seth McCracken here."

"Hey Seth. It's Spike. You got a second? I have a bit of a problem over here and could really use some advice on how to proceed." Seth replied that he had the whole afternoon free and Spike got right to the point.

"Alessandra's parent's are here at my work again. I have a REALLY bad feeling about this. Would you be able to take a trip out here?" Seth replied that he would be there in 15 minutes, to not talk to them without him and hung up. Spike went into the briefing room to get the change of shift report, trying to stall for time.

"Ok everyone, listen up. Today is a nasty day outside, chilly and rainy to boot. We are going to do some working out and a little bit of patrol later this afternoon. Ed, you are with Jules, Spike with me, Sam, you and Wordy can partner today. I'm going to do some paperwork for awhile, Hit the machines. I'll let you know when we are going to go on patrol. That's it." Spike snagged Greg before he could leave.

"Boss. I'm sorry that they keep showing up and I will understand if you want me to go home until this mess is solved. I told them to not show up here again but apparently they want Callie real bad and won't listen to reason when I tell them to not show up here. I have my lawyer on his way. Hopefully this will be the last of it." Greg nodded.

"I understand Spike. It's against the rules for them to be here, but I understand their type. They don't think the rules really apply to them. I am cutting you slack, it's fine. Just get it cleared up as soon as possible." Spike nodded. He told Winnie that his Lawyer would be here shortly and to please show him to briefing room 4. Winnie nodded. Taking a deep breath, Spike made his way to the briefing room.

When he walked in, the first thing he noticed was that there was another person sitting at the table with Marcus and Eileen. His expensive three piece suit and haircut screamed Lawyer. Spike sat down and looked at them. He wanted so badly to punch Marcus and Eileen but he held his temper in check. The first rule of Negotiating, never betray your feelings to your subject. He was pulled from his musings when the lawyer spoke.

"Mr. Scarletti. My name is Benjamin Worthhall. I represent the interests of Marcus and Eileen in many areas, including kidnappings, now it is my understanding that-" Spike cut him off with a simple wave of his hand.

"My lawyer should be here in a few moments, I would rather wait for him before we get started. I'm sure that you can understand that given my position." He saw Marcus' jaw clench and Benjamin nodded his head.

" Very well, I will be here, confering with my clients. Please leave the room." Spike didn't budge. Eileen clicked her tongue at him. Spike gave no other reaction, prefering instead to walk over to the window and peek out at the still awful weather. He was pulled from his thoughts when Seth put his hand on his arm.

"Hey Seth. Glad you could make it. How are you? How are the wife and kids?" They traded pleasantries for a moment before approaching the table.

"This is my attorney, Seth McCracken. Seth, this is Eileen and Marcus Michaels, and their attorney Benjamin Worthhall." Spike said, rolling his eyes, at Seth where they couldn't see what he was doing. After the introductions, Seth and Spike sat down across from Eileen and Marcus. Spike was calm and collected.

"Before we get started, before we say anything, I want it known on record that if my client gets a call, he will be leaving. That is non-negotiable. He is on duty and has certain obligations to the people of this city. I'm sure you understand that he can not stay behind while the rest of the team goes." Benjamin nodded.

"Noted. Now, It is my understanding Mr. Scarlatti, that my clients have tried several times to retrieve their granddaughter from you on several occassions, and have tried to speak with you on several occassions about her and that you rebuffed them at every turn." Spike looked at Seth, who nodded his head.

"I am her father. There is and never was any reason for them to retrieve her. She's not an object or an animal to be acquired." Benjamin nodded. Before he could pose a second question, someone else spoke up.

"Why are you here? Why do you want me in your lives so much now, after all the years that you must have known about me, yet you never came looking for me, never cared enough to be bothered to find me. I know you had the money and other resources to do so, if you had wanted to." Spike stood up.

"Callie honey, this is between me and your grandparents. Please go in the other room and let us talk privately. Now please. I mean it Callie." Callie shook her head. Spike stood up and pointed to the doorway.

"No dad please. I have as much right as anyone in this room to be here and listen and to know why. Maybe even more right to know. I demand answers to so much." Spike nodded his head. He didn't want Callie to be hurt in this way. Not like this. He had wanted to shield her from the ugliness as much as possible.

"Still Callie. This is between us. I will discuss it with you at home tonight." Callie shook her head in determination. She approached the table, sat down and looked at Marcus and Eileen folding her hands on the table.

"I'm sorry that Alessandra is dead. She was my mother and I never had the chance to love or know her. I am sorry that you are not able to get over her death, and I am equally sorry that nothing you do in any way will bring her back. I have built a relationship with my father. He cared enough to fight for me, when he found out about me. You didn't fight for me. I'm sorry." She got up and left the room without another word or waiting for an answer from them. Spike turned back towards Eileen and Marcus.

"Do you see what not putting her in her proper place has done? She runs wild, and has absolutely no respect for adults. If she were with us, she would know her proper place. She would have everything that she could ever want. Prestige, Power, Wealth. We can give her everything that she wants." Eileen said determined to not walk away without Callie. Spike just shook his head. Callie's words had given him a little extra boost of hope.

"She has absolute respect for people. You came in here in the beginning and started demanding that I turn Callie over to you immediately. You belittled people in her presence. You showed her, by your own doing what it means to have no respect for others. She's right. I'm sorry that Alessandra is gone. I loved her so much. We weren't right for each other and I see that now. But I'm not sorry that she bore me a daughter. Because that girl is the reason why I fight. I'm not handing her over. We're done." Spike stood up and started to walk out the door.

"I beg your pardon? You can't just brush us off and expect us to leave and be fine with the fact that you are raising our granddaughter. She needs to be home with us. She needs to learn proper respect, and learn her place. You can't keep her from us. How dare you insinuate that-" Benjamin quieted Eileen and stood up.

"I was hoping to not have to do this. This is an order, signed by a judge and perfectly legal and binding. It is a custody order. You have 24 hours to turn Callie over to my clients, or you will be arrested for kidnapping. My clients were awarded full custody. So I suggest that you say your goodbyes to Callie now and let her leave with my clients. Now, before I have to have you arrested for violating a custody order." Spike snatched the paper out of Benjamins' hand and read it over before handing it over to Seth.

"No. She's not going with you or your clients. Not until a judge looks me in the eyes and tells me that I am not capable of raising my daughter. Get out. We are done. If you continue to hang around, or if you show up at my home, or at the homes of my family and friends, I will have you arrested. Your name does not carry weight here. Seth, I will speak to you later, I have to get ready to go on patrol."

After a few minutes, Wordy came by to see how Spike was. Callie was still sitting with Clark talking, and seemed ok for the time being. Wordy was more worried about Spike. He found him in the workout room punching the punching bag. Wordy stepped behind it and held it for him, while he continued to punch away.

"Spike. You aren't going to lose her. I have absolute faith that you won't. She loves you so much. She's not going to abandon you for what they say they can give her. She was raised with such a good head on her shoulders and she's not giving up. So why should you. I came looking for you, because Seth wants to talk to you. Clean up." Spike nodded and smiled at Wordy, silently thanking him.

"Spike. We have a hearing in one week before a judge. At that time, he will decide once and for all who Callie will stay with. Meaning who will be given full custody. I don't want to lie to you. They are going to want you and the Michaels come up with some kind of joint agreement." Spike nodded and left to patrol. It was a good thing that Greg wanted to do the driving. Spike would have gotten them stuck in a ditch real quick. While they drove, Spike looked out the window.

"Spike. You won't lose her you know. We could hear everything that was said. We weren't intentionally eavesdropping they were just that loud. I think that it really tore Callie apart, hearing you all fighting over her. Where do you want to stop for lunch? Callie said something about ordering in a small pizza for herself and Winnie. So she's taken care of for now. I was thinking McDonald's. We could grab something and head back to the station." Spike nodded.

"I know I'm not going to lose her. It's not an option. When we get back to the station, I am going to continue my searching to see what if anything that I can dig up on Marcus and Eileen." Spike scratched his head while making a mental note of that. The Second rule of Negotiation was this. Know your subject as much as humanly possible. And Spike fully intended on capitalizing on that rule. Greg Nodded.

A couple hours, Everyone gathered at the Station. Callie was working out in the weight room. Her pizza had just been ordered and would be there in about 20 minutes. Spike watched her as she worked out, practicing her karate. Spike felt a rush of pride as he watched her. His life was definitely more exciting since Callie had come into his life. And he decided that he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Hey Callie. Your pizza is here. Why don't you come sit with us while you eat. We haven't sat down together like that in a while. What do you say?" Spike asked stopping her workout Callie nodded and followed him out, holding onto his hand.

"Dad?" Spike stopped.

"Yes Sweetie?" Callie wrinkled her nose at him.

"I love you." Spike laughed and hugged her, twirling her around in the air while she squealed to be put down, that she was too old to be spun around. At that, Spike stopped in shock while Callie laughed.

"I love you too. Come on, let's get some food." They walked into the briefing room, that had been designated as the kitchen that night, and sat down after filling their plates. Everyone was eating something different. Clark had gotten a sandwich. Greg was eating Chinese, having decided against McDonald's. Ed and Wordy were eating some leftover Pasta that Spike's mother had brought it. Jules was eating some pizza as well and Sam had gotten a sandwich. Spike was alternating between Chinese and Pizza. While they ate, Callie had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Dad? Can I ask you something and not get yelled at?" Spike nodded, wiping off his mouth.

"Always sweetie. Ask away." Callie bit her lip.

"Why didn't they want Alessandra to keep me? If they want me so badly now, why didn't they come for me sooner, why didn't they love me when I was a baby? What's wrong with me that they have to come into my life and yell and scream and tear me apart like this." She looked on the verge of tears. Spike put his fork down and faced her.

"Callie honey listen to me. Are you listening? None of this. NONE of this, is your fault. I don't have all of the answers. I don't know why your grandparents didn't want your mother to keep you. I don't know why they didn't express an interest in you sooner. And I don't know why they want you so badly now. But we are going to find out. I promise you that. But I will tell you this much. I love you. I want you. I care enough about you to have found out about you and kept you. If I had known about you all those years ago, I would have fought for you then. And I am so sorry that I didn't know about you." Callie sat there and let the tears fall.

Spike's heart broke for her. He hated Marcus and Eileen for putting Callie through this. He knew that he was not about to give up without a fight, but he couldn't stand that Callie was getting hurt so badly in the process. He hugged her close to his chest. Callie continued to cry, starting to sound strangled. Spike just comforted her and let her cry.

"I heard them talking as they were leaving. She said that they would be taking me with them even if they had to kidnap me. I don't want to go with them, and I don't want to be kidnapped daddy. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GO WITH THEM!" She edged into a full blown panic attack. Spike was helpless, he'd never seen her have a panic attack before. Sam jumped up and intervened, pulling Callie around to face him.

"Callie. CALLIE! Breath into this paperbag. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Like this. Watch me." Sam demonstrated. Callie Struggled to comply while wheezing. Sam held her hand while breathing with her. After a few minutes, Callie lowered the bag a little. Sam smiled at her.

"How are you doing there Tweet? Better?" Callie nodded a little, still a little shaky.

"Yeah I feel a little better. Thank You Sam." He smiled and gave her a hug. Spike nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks Sam. She's never had a panic attack around me. I didn't know what to do. Have you had panic attacks before Callie?" Callie nodded. Spike nodded. He held her close and just thanked God that Callie was in his life. He made up his mind then and there that he was going to fight Eileen and Marcus for as long as it took him to keep Callie with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 12

Author's Note:

This will be the last chapter for a couple days. I'm trying to see what direction I want to head in. Please read and review, I want to know what you think about the story. Thank you to those who have reviewed. And thank you to those who read but dont review. Leave me one! Any mistakes are mine and mine alone. I don't own Flashpoint. But I wish.

Enjoy!

The day had finally come when Spike had his appearance before the judge, along with Eileen and Marcus to decide Callie's fate of who she would be living with. Spike was a little nervous. He didn't want the judge to look at him and tell him that Callie wouldn't be coming home with him that night. Spike wanted to keep tucking Callie in at night for however long she'd let him. He wanted to keep dropping her off at school, and seeing her everyday.

He woke up in the middle of the night and before going to the bathroom, Spike slipped out of bed and dropped to his knees, like he had many times when he had been a little child to pray. He didn't think he was asking for much. Just that his daughter stay with him. He folded his hands and bowed his head.

_'God. I'm not asking for alot. Nothing for myself. I'm asking for my daughter to be able to stay with me. Please. I was denied the chance to know her when she was a baby, I'm asking for that chance now. I know that whatever happens today, is done according to your will and purpose for my life, and I will abide by that God. Amen.' _Spike stood up and went downstairs to use the bathroom and make himself a quick bite to eat. Maybe some crackers or something.

While he was down there, He peeked out the curtains at the deserted street. Just the occassional car went by. He nibbled his snack and judged the weather by looking out the window. It looked calm. But very wet. That was when Spike became aware that it wasn't just raining. It was pouring rain rather hard.

The day started off a little chilly, and rainy. Spike didn't take that to be a good omen. The lousy weather was starting to fit his mood. He had gotten to go to the bathroom, and walked down the hallway and checked on Callie and found her wide awake, but still in her pj's, reading a book. He came in and sat on the edge of the bed. Callie looked up at him.

"Callie honey. It's like 5 in the morning. You should still be sleeping. What's wrong? You can't sleep huh?" Callie shook her head. Spike looked a little confused but waited for her to go on, knowing that she was scared but not about to call her on it. He knew she would speak what was on her mind soon enough.

"I can't sleep, thinking that if the judge says I have to go with them, that this will be the last time I ever spend in this house. I don't want to go with them dad. I just, I can't. They don't want me. They only want to make your life miserable. Why can't I go with you today to the hearing? I have stuff to say too you know." She snuggled down in her bed and looked at Spike.

"Sweetie. This is for them and me to talk to the judge and make him see our points of view. It's not about having things to say. It should be quick and simple. Callie honey, you know I love you and I only want what is best for you. I'm going to tell the judge that too. Hopefully he will go in my favor. Now, try to get sleep." He started to get up, only to have Callie grab his wrist.

"Please stay in here daddy, I'm scared. I don't think I will sleep in here alone." Spike nodded and laid down on the couch. Callie turned on her side and closed her eyes. Spike waited until he was sure that Callie was asleep before getting up, gathering his pillow, a blanket, and his phone and returning to the couch in Callie's room. He settled down and tried to sleep. He didn't have to meet Seth until 12pm. Their hearing was at 2pm.

When Spike woke up, he was a little confused as to why he was in Callie's room. but he remembered the conversation he'd had with Callie and looked over at her bed. It was empty and made up. That meant Callie was up. He got up off the couch and checked his watch. 10 am. Plenty of time for him to eat breakfast, get a shower and dressed before he had to meet Seth. He went downstairs.

"Hi dad. I didn't feel like making breakfast this morning. Can I at least stay here at home and just have Grandma come over or something? I don't want to leave. Please dad." Callie asked in a pleading tone of voice. Spike shook his head.

"Your grandma and grandpa are expecting you at their house. I'm sorry Sweetie. Maybe Grandma will bring you back here early and teach you to cook something. What would you like to eat for breakfast?" Callie shook her head stubbornly. Spike sighed. He nodded and made himself eggs and Bacon and poured himself a glass of Orange Juice. Callie had cold cereal and toast with Juice as well.

After Breakfast, Callie did the dishes and then went upstairs to get showered and changed while Spike did the same thing. Callie had decided on her Yellow plaid flannel shirt and Jeans with her sandles. She packed her bookbag with a couple items and sat on her bed. She quickly braided her hair in a simple braid and waited for Spike to call for her.

"Callie honey. It's time to go. I gotta drop you at Grandmas' and get to the courthouse." Callie nodded and slung her bookbag over her shoulder and made her way down the stairs and out the door. Spike followed, his heart hurting for her. He wished that he could fix the pain that Callie was feeling. After he stopped off at his mom and dad's house and made sure that his mom had Callie, Spike drove to the courthouse, parked and made his way in to see Seth standing there talking on his phone.

"Spike. Nice to see you. I am just wishing that it were under different circumstances. How is Callie coping with all of this? How are you handling this?" Spike nodded in greeting. He cleared his throat and tried to smile, even though he really didn't feel like smiling.

"Hi Seth. Callie's trying to come to terms with many things. Including how two people who claim to love her can do this to her when they can obviously see that it's tearing her to pieces. I'm just trying to be as strong for her as I possibly can. She doesn't need to see me falling apart. I usually fall apart in my room, out of sight of her. Yeah I wish it were under different circumstances as well Seth. So what's the plan?" Seth scratched his head.

"Well. We will go in there, and Eileen and Marcus' lawyer will have his turn to present their case. I can almost guarantee that your job with SRU will come under fire. They are going to want to show that your job is too dangerous and that you simply can't be a fit role model. After they are done, I will have my chance to present our case. The judge will ask questions of you and of Eileen and Marcus. Just answer them as truthfully as possible. Where is Callie at today?"

"Ok. She's with my parents at their house. I told my mother to try to get Callie out of the house and go shopping or something. Maybe do lunch or something. Why?" Seth nodded.

"If the Judge makes his decision today and it goes Eileen and Marcus' way. You will have to relinquish Callie today. You will have no choice in the matter. I wish that there was a way to prepare her and yourself for that possibility, but there's not and for that I am sorry my friend. But we will go in there, tell the truth, and hope for the best. That's all we can do." Spike nodded and they walked into the courtroom.

When they got in there, Spike noticed that the only other people in the room were Eileen, Marcus and their lawyer. The judge had not yet appeared. Spike sat down in the seat pointed out by his lawyer and waited quietly, sending another quick prayer up to God before clearing his mind, turning his cell phone off and taking a deep breath. When he let it out, he felt better about the whole mess than he had in a really long time. Just then the baliff announced that they would all rise.

"You may be seated. Mr. McCraken, Mr. Worthhall. We are here today to determine the custody of one minor, Calessandra Marie Scarlatti, are we not?" Both Lawyers answered in the affirmative. The judge shuffled some papers and looked at Spike.

"Mr. Scarlatti. Where is the child at this moment?" Spike stood up quickly.

"She is at my mother and father's home right now your Honor, I wasn't aware that she should be here today. I can call my mother and have her brought down immediately if you wish to speak to her." The judge waved it off.

"No. I don't think that will be necessary. I wanted to know where she was. Let's get started. Mrs. Michaels, please stand up. The first question is yours to answer." Eileen stood up primly. The judge looked at her.

"Tell me in your own words, why do you think that custody of Callie should be given over to you and your husband today." Eileen thought for a moment before speaking.

"My husband and I have made mistakes in our past. When Alessandra, Calessandra's mother announced to us that she was pregnant. We were furious. We wanted her to get married to a man of equal stature. We urged her to end the pregnancy. She decided instead to carry the child to term and give her up for adoption, intending to have no contact with the child. We were fine with that. Alessandra died in a plane crash and we started thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad having Calessandra around to remind us of our daughter. I honestly and firmly believe that we can give her a stable, safe home evnironment full of everything that she would ever need or want." She sat down. The Judge motioned her to stand again, which she did.

"Another question. Why, if your daughter was so willing to give The child up for adoption and have no contact with her, did she not contact Mr. Scarlatti and arrange for him to custody of Calessandra after giving birth?" Eileen looked lost for a moment.

"Alessandra told me at the time that her reasons for doing what she did with her life were her business and she wasn't about to explain her choices." The judge nooded and waved for her to sit down. The Judge turned to Spike.

"Mr. Scarlatti, Same question, Tell me in your own words, why do you think that custody of Callie should be given over to you today? Your response." Spike stood up, straightening his tie before speaking.

"I did not have the pleasure of knowing Callie when she was a baby. I did not even know she existed and was my daughter until about a year after I rescued her from a bridge. A colleague of mine was digging into her past, because she expressed an interest in knowing who her birth parents were. The day that I found out that she was in fact my daughter, that was one of the happiest days of my life. I promised myself on that day that I would lay down my life for her no matter what at any given time. I'm not the most knowledgable when it comes to parenting, and I've had to rely on my parents and friends to help. But I am learning. I am trying." Spike started to sit when the judge stopped him.

"Another question Mr Scarlatti. What about your job? I have documents before me and your own admissions stating that you are a member of the Strategic Response Unit. It's a dangerous job, is it not? How does Callie deal with that?" Spike nodded.

"It CAN be a dangerous Job Sir. I mostly stay in the command truck because I am the main technology and computer person on the team. There are a few occassions where I actually go in with the team though. Callie knows what I do for a living. I don't flaunt it in front of her if I can help it, but I also refuse to keep it from her. She knows that life is not always rosy or perfect. I don't discuss actual details with her. but if she has a question about it I try to answer it as honestly as possible." He waited a moment. The Judge nodded. Spike sat down.

"Mr. Michaels, In your own words, how do you feel about Calessandra staying with Mr. Scarlatti? If I were to rule in his favor that is." Marcus stood up nervously and cleared his throat, straightening his tie before answering.

"I don't think that it's safe. By his own admission he states that his job can be dangerous at times. What kind of life is that for Calessandra? Wondering when her father leaves if he's coming home that night from work, or if she's going to find out that he's been killed on the job? How is that fair to her to have him in her life only to possibly lose him?" Marcus sat down.

"Mr, Scarletti? Same question. How do you feel about Calessandra staying with Mr. and Mrs. Michaels?" Spike stood up again, calming himself with a deep breath.

"Obviously my feelings are going to be similar to Mr. Michaels feelings about her staying with me. Yes they are rich, and yes they can give her every material item that she would ever want or need. I know that much. But can they give her love? Real honest love that comes from the heart? Mr. Michaels bases his objections on the basis of my job. I understand his objections. But it is what I do to provide for my daughter and myself. I am not as rich as they are. But I do try my hardest to provide Callie with what she wants within reason. I want her to build character, not grow up spoiled and selfish." Spike took another breath and continued.

"I don't think it would work for Callie to stay with them. Callie has voiced her own objections, but I can't comment on them for they are hers, and hers alone. I can only speak for myself. I honestly feel that Callie would cease to be herself if you send her with them. I feel that the only reason that they are pushing so hard for custody is because they felt that I wasn't right or good enough for their daughter, and by association, not good enough to be a father to Callie." Spike sat down and waited. The judge shuffled some papers and looked at Spike.

"Mr. Scarlatti, Please contact your mother and Have Calessandra brought down here in one hour. I wish to speak to her privately, without interference from either side. The interview will take place in my chambers, the court stenographer will be there as well as female baliff. We will reconvene in two hours at which time I will render my verdict. That's all for now." The judge walked out and Spike dialed his mom.

"Hello Scarlatti Residence. This is Callie." Spike smiled.

"Callie honey, put your grandmother on the phone please I have a question for her ok?" There was a muffled shout on the other end as Callie yelled for his mother. Then Callie came back on the line.

"Ok. Here she is, Love you dad. I'm going to kick Clark's butt now. BYE!" Spike laughed as he waited for his mother.

"Yes Michaelangelo? What is it? Has the judge reached his decision already?"

"Mom. The judge would like Callie brought down here to the Courthouse in one hour because he would like to speak to her. Would you please make sure she gets cleaned up and dressed nicely? Absolutely no Yellow Flannel shirt and jeans or tennis shoes for that matter. Thank you Mom. I will be waiting outside for her. See you soon. Give her my love." His mother replied that she would be there and hung up. When Spike hung up, he turned to go with his attorney.

"Spike, where do you want to eat lunch or do you want to wait? I think you need to eat something. I know you said you had breakfast, But I doubt you ate much." Spike nodded.

"Lets just get something quick from the cafeteria and eat up here. Callie will be here soon. I want to be here." Seth nodded and they went down, picked up something quick and simple and brought it back up and sat on a bench and ate quickly.

"How do you think it's going so far Seth? There's gotta be something that the Judge still needs or wants to know otherwise he wouldn't need to speak to Callie. Would he?" Seth shook his head and held up a finger while he finished swallowing his food. After wiping his mouth, he answered Spike's question.

"Spike, in a case like this, the judge will usually talk to the child or children in question and get a sense of what the child wants. It's standard in these cases. The judge wants to talk to Callie privately without any interference from you or the Michaels, so you can't somehow influence Callie into making a decision." Spike nodded. Suddenly his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dad. I can't find you. I'm here now. Grandma said she wanted to do the shopping while I was busy talking to the judge. And I don't see you. And the guard won't let me through. I tried to explain to him that the judge wanted to talk to me. Come find me please. It's scary out here." There was a bit of a tear in he voice. Spike stood up and started walking.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I will be there in a moment. Just sit tight. I'm coming." Seth hurried after him. When they got to the lobby, Spike spotted Callie immediately. She was dressed in a yellow sundress and her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail. She was wearing a pair of pale yellow sandles. Spike breezed past of the guard and walked over to Callie.

"Hi Dad. Do I look ok? I tried to find something on short notice, which was not easy. So I picked this which I bought but never wore yet. I look awful don't I? " Spike smiled.

"You look wonderful Sweetie. Yellow is definitely your color. Come on. The Judge is expecting you." They walked quickly down the hallway and into the courtroom. The Judge was just coming through the door. Callie sat down on a bench and Spike went up front to sit with Seth. The Judge sat down, shuffled some papers and looked up.

"Mr. Scarlatti. Is Calessandra here now?" Callie stood up nervously smoothing the skirt of her dress down while biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Yes Sir. I am here. I'm very sorry to keep you waiting." The judge nodded and smiled at her to put her at ease.

"Very well. Come with me young lady, We are going to speak privately in my office. There will be the court reporter and a female Baliff in the room. No one else, so you can speak freely. We will convene in here in one hour." Callie walked to catch up with the Judge and followed him into his office, shutting the door after her.

"Well now Spike. We wait. We won't know much about what Callie says to the Judge. It's privileged information and will be entered into the record. Don't worry. I have a good feeling about all of this. Come on, you need to eat something other than just a coffee. Here comes Eileen and Marcus. Be polite." Spike smirked and stood up.

"Michaelangelo. I hope you are proud of yourself. Dragging Calessandra through this mess. We could have settled this quietly like the grown adults we are. Instead you chose to hurt her by dragging her through this. Shameful." Eileen turned on her heel and stalked back to her seat. Marcus looked at Spike and sneered before going back to his seat as well. Spike mentally rolled his eyes, and took the other half of the sandwich that Seth had bought and ate it quickly. He felt a little better afterwards.

_An hour later:_

Spike was going nuts. At least he felt like he was. Callie and the Judge had been in there nearly the whole hour. He wondered what could be taking so long. But He was learning the third rule of Negotiation. Be patient. Sooner or later the subject would reach out to you. And when they did, be ready. Not that he liked thinking of the judge or Callie in terms of being a subject.

He sent up another prayer quickly, but surprisingly, he wasn't at all nervous or scared. He felt completely calm and relaxed. He knew that he would be ok no matter what. He turned his thoughts to what to make for dinner that night. although if the judge ruled in his favor, he would not be cooking dinner, the whole family would be going out for dinner to celebrate.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the Judge's door opened. Callie came out and sat down behind him quietly. Curious, Spike turned around and brought Callie's chin up to look her right in the eyes.

"Sweetie. Is everything ok? It wasn't that bad was it?" She shook her head and put her hand on Spike's shoulder.

"Everything's ok. I don't know how it'll go Daddy. No matter what though, I love you lots. He just asked me a bunch of questions about School, and about what it was like living with you. I just answered them as honestly and thoughtfully as I could. He also asked a few questions about your job and about when they came to the station." Spike nodded and smiled at her.

"As long as you were polite and honest. That's what matters. I'm proud of you Sweetie. And I love you too. So much." He was going to say more, but the door to the judges' office opened and he turned around and faced forward.

The judge came out of his chambers and took his Seat. He shuffled papers for a few minutes before looking down at everyone. He hated cases where there were no clearly defined winners or losers. This was that kind of case. He knew that no matter what he decided today that someone was going to walk away very hurt.

"I have spoken with you all. I have spoken with Calessandra. She seems to be a well adjusted young lady. Polite and a joy to speak to. This is a hard case to decide. There are no clearly defined winners or losers. No matter what I decide here today, someone will walk away hurt because they are the loser in this case. Based on documents presented to me, statements made, and my discussion with Calessandra, as well as other evidence that was recently given to me, I make my judgement in favor of Mr. Scarlatti. That is all. Mr. Scarlatti, Calessandra, Mr. McCraken, you are free to go. Mr. Michaels, we are going to have a chat about some items recently given to me. We are adjourned." Spike was out of his chair the second the gavel fell.

Callie was crying. She was so overjoyed. They walked out of the courtroom and outside. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot. Suddenly, it was a very beautiful day.


	13. Chapter 13

Authors Note:

I am so sorry that I have not updated. My laptop received a pressure crack in the screen, so I had no access the last 2 weeks of the school semester. I am home for the summer now and just waiting to see if my lap top can get fixed. If so I promise ALOT more updates! =-D PLEASE DON'T THROW THINGS AT ME! Thank you.

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 13

The rest of the summer went by quickly. Callie was back in school. High School was definitely an adjustment for her. But she was still doing well in classes. She had decided to try out for the Karate team in the fall, and made it. She was excited. She had tested with Ed, who was a black belt, and had already earned her Yellow belt. She was currently training for her Orange belt with the Karate team and Ed both.

Classes were going well. Callie had joined the Latin club as well, knowing that she would do well. Her grandmother and grandfather both had taken to speaking to her on occasion in Italian, trying to drill her on her language skills. Callie liked it. She appreciated all the extra help. She was quickly becoming fluent in Italian and had also started studying Sign Language

She and Clark were officially dating. Spike didn't think that Callie was old enough to date, but they had made a pact with him, Ed and Sophie that they would not actually go on dates until Callie was 15. That was only about 4 months. They were content to wait. Spike didn't want to break them up, nor did he want to forbid her to see him. Callie was thrilled with the outcome. Spike couldn't help but feel scared that she was growing up so fast.

Callie had a new routine this year. She and Spike had discussed it over the summer and came to an agreement that Callie would walk from school after practice, meet Clark, they would go to the house pick up the mail and then stop at Spike's mom and Dad's house where they would stay until Sophie came to pick up Clark for dinner.

Callie was still allowed two days where she could be home alone after School. She had picked Tuesdays And Thursdays, because she didn't have practice with the team those days. She could come home, fix herself a snack, do her homework and then sack out on the couch before making dinner for her and Spike. Something that she was actually getting rather good at.

One day, Callie had just gotten home from practice and retrieved the mail to set it on the table, before heading over to her Grandma and Grandpa's house with Clark. He had promised to help her with the chemistry homework that she had. She had already dropped her karate uniform in her dirty clothesbasket. She flipped through the mail while Clark used the bathroom

"Bill, Bill, Magazine for Dad, Package for me, Bill, Wait-? A package for me? I never get packages in the mail." It was a plain brown package. No return address. She set it on the table gently and yelled for Clark. She had a really weird feeling about the package. When he came out of the bathroom, She pointed to the package. He looked at it cautiously. He picked up his book bag and handed hers to her. Callie called Spike who was working.

"Hey Callie. Are you at the house? Was there anything of interest in the mail? How was school, how was practice?" Callie got right to the point, cutting Spike off mid-speak. She was mildly nervous, not sure what to make of the package.

"Dad. I am at home. I stopped to drop my uniform off, and pick up the mail. Clark's with me. I got a package. It has no return address on it that I can see. Addressed to me. I already handled it. I have a really weird feeling about it. What do I do? I set it on the table as gently as possibly." Spike stood up abruptly, drawing the attention of the rest of the team who were sitting around the table at work. He picked up the manual that he'd dug up for review.

"Callie. Have Clark hold the phone and wash your hands RIGHT NOW. Get back to me when you are done. Have Clark do the same thing." Callie handed Clark the phone. Spike flipped to a section of the manual that contained a checklist of what to look for. Greg spoke up concerned.

"What's wrong Spike? Is Callie in trouble? Do we need to roll to your house?" Spike shrugged and held up a finger, signaling that he had to wait a minute for an answer. He waited for Callie to get back him. While he waited, he turned to Greg.

"I don't know. Callie Grabbed the mail, there was a package for her. She said it has no return address and that she had a weird feeling about it. I think that we'd better get over there." Greg nodded and the team sprung into action, loading the gear and getting in the trucks. A moment later Callie got back on the phone.

"Ok dad. What do you want me to do? I washed my hands and am ready to help. Sort of. Well as well as I can, considering I have no bomb training. Speaking of that, we really should talk about that sometime." Spike looked at the manual. He took a couple deep breaths and smirked.

"Callie. Without touching the package, Do you see anything out of the ordinary. Like the wrapping messed up, anything sticking out of the package that shouldn't be, stains or anything weird on the package. Tell me what you see. And hell no. You are not learning how to disable bombs young lady." Ed smirked at that statement. Spike waited for a moment, before getting in the truck. They were on their way to Spike's house.

"Wrapping's smooth and neat. Almost like it was professionally wrapped, almost like a Christmas package. Nothing out of the ordinar- Wait. I didn't notice that earlier. There's a huge stain on the one corner. I'm positive that it wasn't there when I picked up the mail Dad. That's not good." Spike's voice boomed in her ear.

"GET OUT OF THE HOUSE RIGHT NOW CALLIE. TAKE CLARK AND MOVE! LEAVE YOUR SHIT. OUT NOW! MOVE." Just as he finished speaking he heard them running and Callie screaming at Clark to move.

"THE THING'S STARTING TO FREAKING SMOKE DAD! WHAT IS IT? JESUS IT STINKS!" The team was 5 minutes away, lights and sirens blaring. Spike struggled to remain calm and collected as he listened to Callie.

"Callie, just get out of the house and stay away from the house. Sit in the yard with Clark. We are 5 minutes away. Just stay calm. " He hung up and checked his bag of bomb tools. When they reached his house, the fire department was already on scene waiting for orders. Spike put on his mask as did Greg and Ed and walked in the house.

The package was no longer smoking profusely. It looked as though it had been a little smoke bomb that had already went off and exploded. It was meant for nothing more than freaking people out and being irritating and a damned nuisance. Spike yanked out a tool for pushing things around and looked through the debris.

"Looks like a simple smoke bomb." Sam said, having come in after the all clear. Jules and Wordy went outside to be with Callie and Clark. Spike nodded, having taken his mask off. He continued to push things around. Suddenly he drew in a sharp breath. He used a pair of tweezers to lift something. It looked like a small piece of paper. he set it on the table free from the debris so that others could read it.

'Calita. Calita.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue

I might be dying

But you'll soon be dead too.'

After they read that, Spike sat down heavily in a chair. He dealt with bombs alot in his job. They all did. None of them had ever gotten death threats. The thing was though, Spike didn't think this threat was meant for him. He figured that it was meant for Callie. Meant to scare the shit out of her. And Spike was willing to admit that it had already scared him.

"Sam. Could you go get Callie and bring her in here please." Sam returned shortly with Callie and Clark in tow. Spike hugged Callie. Ed held Clark under his arm, close to his side, while he called Sophie and explained what happened and that he would be dropping Clark off shortly and telling her that she didn't need to rush right over to Spike's House to pick up Clark.

"You did good sweetie. I'm proud of you, you know. I have a question for you. You have many nicknames right?" Callie nodded, confusion on her face. Spike gestured to another chair and Callie sat down. Spike held onto her hands.

"Callie. Does anyone or has anyone ever called you something like Calita?" Callie's eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth in shock. She felt a few tears escape and she brushed them away. Spike, alarmed, gathered her in his arms.

"Who Callie? Tell me who. It's important that we know." Callie pushed him off. He fought to hold on to her, with her hitting him in the chest. Finally he had her by the upper arms and shook her gently. She was crying freely now. He hugged her to his chest as her legs gave out.

"Mr. Sanchez. He used to call me his little Lolita, whatever that meant. He said he couldn't call me that in public, because people wouldn't understand. So he started calling me Calita. It was supposed to be our little inside joke." She was gasping for air now and took a couple gulps of air. Ed passed her a paper bag that she breathed into.

"Every time he would touch me, he would call me Calita. It got so I could judge how bad it would be by how he would say that nickname. I really hate that stupid nickname. Why do you ask dad?" Spike didn't really want to tell her about the note. But there was one thing that Spike knew, and that was his daughter could handle things if he gave her a chance to handle them. He nodded and picked up the note and showed it to her.

"Callie. The package contained a smoke bomb. It's something that is only good for nothing more than scaring the crap out of people and being one hell of a nuisance. Inside the wrapper of the package, we found a note. We have reason to believe that someone might want you dead. And we need to find out who."

After he said it, Spike worried that maybe he shouldn't have said it the way he had. Callie was quiet for so long. She suddenly got up and walked into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. Spike let her slam around in the kitchen for a minute. He got up to go in the kitchen. He was stopped by Wordy's hand on his arm.

"Spike, Don't. Trust me, You are too close to this. Let me give it a try." Spike nodded and Wordy walked into the kitchen. Callie was still slamming around, getting out a plate, and the fixings for a sandwich. She slammed around putting the things away. Wordy leaned casually against the counter top and watched her a moment.

"What do you want Wordy? I'm hungry, I'm making a sandwich. Do you want one? I have to do something with this extra energy I have on me. It wouldn't be a problem to make a couple extra sandwiches. I don't mind." Wordy shook his head, continuing to watch her silently. Finally Callie couldn't take the silence anymore.

"I wish he wasn't so fixated on me. I only had him arrested because he was molesting and raping me. It wasn't wrong to have him arrested. It was wrong what he was doing to me. I wonder how he knew where we lived anyway, and if he left any other surprises for me around the house. That thought really creeps me out." At that Wordy answered.

"He knows where you live because of the Restraining Order that you have against him sweetie. He needs to know where he is not allowed to go. He knows your school, you house, and the teams addresses. It's standard procedure. As for other surprises. We've already swept the house. Nothing unusual." Callie snorted a very unladylike snort and Wordy smiled.

"That sounds a little more like you there sweetie. Now, come on. Your dad is going to want you to go back to the station with us. So pack up the sandwich and let's go." Callie shook her head. Wordy continued to lean against the counter watching her. He knew that this was going to be a tough battle to have. Callie wanted control.

"No. I'm not letting that jerk run me out of my home. This is my home. I want to stay here Wordy." Wordy shook his head. Spike had told him that she was coming with them no matter what. Wordy reached for a baggie and put some crackers in it along with a couple carrots and a couple juice boxes. He put Callie's sandwich in another bag and put it in the bigger bag.

"There. Now your food is ready to go. Let's get going. Now. Get your bag." Wordy's tone voice was such that he would not hear arguments. Callie stayed put. Wordy raised an eyebrow. Without warning, or giving her time for an argument, Wordy picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and started walking to the door.

"You are coming with us. Your father has decided you will be safer there at the station than running around town. Clark's coming too, so you will have someone to talk to for a while." Callie was screeching at Wordy telling him to put her down and hitting his back, and kicking him. Finally Wordy stopped in the dining room, picked her up off of his shoulder and turned her around holding onto her upper arm, shaking her gently.

"This is going to hurt me more then it will you Sweetie. Remember that." He turned her away from him and swatted her once across the rear end. Spike watched in shock. He couldn't believe that Wordy has just spanked Callie. On the other hand, he wasn't going to interfere. Wordy was the more experienced father of the two of them, He saw what Callie was doing and thought it appropriate that he spank her.

Callie just looked at him in shock. She couldn't believe that Wordy had just spanked her. In front of her father no less. She narrowed her eyes at Wordy, who stared her down. She debated ignoring him and just going back upstairs to her room and locking the door. Wordy pointed to the door.

"March. Now. Don't make me swat you again Callie. I don't want to, but I will if I have to. Your father will not interfere." Callie flipped him off and walked outside, hopping into one of the trucks. Wordy hopped in next to her. He took a hold of her chin and made her look him in the eye.

"If you flip me off again, we will have a problem. Do you understand me Callie? I know that you are scared. More than you will let on. But that does not give you the right to be a brat. Now buckle up." Callie rolled her eyes, deciding that silence was the best course of action for the time being. Wordy nodded and pulled out of the drive and drove back to the station.

When they got to the Station, Callie hopped out of the truck, and walked into the yard without a word. Wordy knew she was angry that he spanked her. But she had needed it and he didn't do it very hard. She was starting to turn into a bit of a brat.

"Wordy. Thank you. I was trying to find a way to punish her without her being angry at me. " Wordy burst out laughing and slapped Spike on the back.

"Spike. She's a teenager. She's going to be mad no matter what. Welcome to the wonderful world of being a father."


	14. Chapter 14

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 14

Winter was coming. Spike could smell the snow in the air. He had started preparations for the chilly, nasty weather earlier that week. He had snow tires and chains put on his truck, he had taken Callie to the mall and bought her some sweaters and boots, hat and gloves, and a scarf. He bought her coat that he was sure would keep her warm during the walks home. He didn't need to buy extra blankets; His parents took care of that.

He had come home from work early one day to found his parents at the house with Callie and Clark. They were surrounded by what seemed like tons of blankets. His mother had gone out and bought blankets, because Spike had refused to take any with him when he had moved out. He kept meaning to buy some new blankets but never got around to it.

"Mama! I TOLD you that I was going to go shopping this weekend and buy blankets! You could have at least let me pick out my own blankets. I have particular tastes." His mother looked at him from her spot on the couch and merely gave him a look that had him sitting down and apologizing immediately.

"Callie wanted some more blankets and you needed them. Early Christmas present. We bought you two new blankets. Green and White. Your father and I are off now. Your father is taking me to dinner. Clark needs to go home to eat soon, Sophie will be coming to pick him up at 6pm. Give me a kiss." Spike obliged and hugged his father, stood back while Callie and Clark hugged them. After they left, Callie took the blankets up to her room and then came down to sit around while waiting for Sophie.

"How was work today Dad? Do you want me to start dinner now? There is already a pot of coffee made for you. We are going to have to go Grocery shopping soon. We are out of a few things." Spike turned to Callie.

"It was tough. We had a rough call that tested everyone's nerves and patience. No one died though, and that was a good thing. How was School for you both? We can go a little later tonight.. I heard that you had a surprise inspection. " They took turns telling him about their days. After a few minutes, there was a knock at the front door. Spike went to get it, while Clark and Callie continued debating Chemistry.

"Clark, your parents are here. Callie come say goodbye." Sophie and Ed didn't stay for long. Spike knew they wanted to get home and he didn't blame them, The snow had started to fall a little bit, Spike knew it would cover the roads before too long, so he was questioning his decision to wait until a little later to go to the store.

"Callie, I'm going to start dinner now. Would you like to help?" Callie just shook her head and scampered off to her room without a word. Spike raised an eyebrow at her departure, which was unlike her, shrugged his shoulders and set to work making baked chicken with Rice and green beans. While it was cooking, he set the table and then got a cup of coffee and sat down for a few minutes of silence.

While he was alone, he went over the call in his mind. True, there were no lives lost today, but it was a tough call. Tougher than he let on to Callie. He never wanted to scare her with telling her about the call. Some he did talk to her about, and she did ok with them. Others he knew she would not be able to handle, so he didn't tell her about them.

This call was for a man who was angry over a neighbor touching his daughter. His daughter had been in tears and sitting huddled on the floor with her clothes in shreds. Spike had wanted to put his fist through the neighbors face. He had restrained himself. This was one occasion where he had to go in with the team. He hated not telling Callie about those times, but it was necessary at times.

The man had gone over to talk to the man. He shot him with a shotgun. The man was still alive. He would pull through. No lives lost was a good day. Spike looked forward to getting through the debriefing and home to Callie. He wanted to hug her. The others had understood how he was feeling.

Refusing to think about the call any longer, Spike got up and checked on dinner, turning it on low so it wouldn't burn. Then he went upstairs to take a quick shower and get changed. He passed Callie's room on his way to his room, and heard her crying softly. He wanted to let her have her space, because he knew that he couldn't smother her. On the other hand, his daughter was hurting and he wanted to fix whatever her pain was. He knocked on her door, his shower forgotten.

"Come in Dad." Spike opened her door, and saw her huddled on her couch, clutching her pillow to muffle her sobs. He sat down on the other end and held open his arms. Callie launched herself into his arms and started crying harder. Spike held her gently, rocking back and forth. After a few minutes, Callie sat back and hugged the pillow to her chest.

"Callie, Do you want to talk to me about it? I don't like you hurting. I promise to be objective. Unless someone hurt you, then I won't be objective. Unless you would be more comfortable talking to another woman." Callie sat and debated telling him what had happened. She was feeling really bad about it and needed to talk to someone.

"I feel so guilty Daddy. Like I did something really bad. But it didn't feel bad at the time that it happened." Spike nodded for her to go on, not trusting his voice. Callie picked at her pillow for a few minutes before continuing.

"Today when I met Clark after school at our spot, He was different. He didn't grab my hand like usual. Nor did he hug me. I thought he was going to break up with me." She took a deep breath., picking at some lint on her pillow. Spike waited patiently.

"I was hurting rather badly. We didn't even stop for Pizza. I was trying to figure out what I did to hurt him and make him want to break up with me. That's when I noticed that we had come to the big Oak Tree that is in the little park across from Grandma's."

"Callie. I have to ask you. And I want you to be very honest with me. Did Clark hurt you in anyway?" Callie gave Spike a look like he had just asked her what a breadbox was. She started laughing and Spike's heart eased a little bit.

"No Dad. Clark kissed me today. On the Lips. I liked it Dad. A lot." Her cheeks reddened as she hid her face and Spike laughed gently, resisting the impulse to poke fun at her red cheeks. He was happy that it was only upset over a kiss.

"So why were you crying then? Help me understand this. I'm a guy. I don't understand crying girls. Come down with me while I finish dinner. It should be just about done Baked Chicken and rice with green Beans." Callie followed him downstairs.

"I feel guilty for him kissing me. We promised that we wouldn't do anything until I was 16. We kissed. I'm sorry Dad. Really sorry for not keeping my promise." They thumped down the stairs as they went to check on dinner.

"Callie. There is nothing wrong with kissing Clark on the lips. As long as that is where it stops, I am ok with it. This was your first kiss wasn't it? I'm happy for you sweetie. Dinner's ready. Any time you need or want to talk, I want you to know that you can come to me sweetie." Callie shoveled the food on her plate into her mouth without another word. Spike watched her or a moment before digging into his food as well.

"After dinner, we are going to go to the store to do some shopping. Do we have a list of what we need?" Callie nodded and pointed to the fridge door, indicating that the list was on the door and already written. Spike nodded and they finished their dinner. Callie did the dishes while Spike took a quick shower.

"You ready Callie? Dress Warm. It's snowing outside." Callie nodded and turned to pick up her coat. When they were ready, they got into Spike's truck and headed to the store, listening to music as they drove. When they got there, they each grabbed a shopping cart and took a half of the list and went to get the items on their lists.

Callie had things like eggs, and bread, and snacks. Spike took the meat and frozen foods. He cautioned Callie to not get too many snacks, and knew she would listen. They didn't drink pop, instead juice and milk and lots of water. Callie picked up different things and hoped Spike would be all right with her choices.

Spike got different meats. Callie liked lunchmeats and he got several kinds. He liked to have a couple sandwiches in his lunch bag for work. He also picked up fruit and vegetables. He picked out some ribs and chicken as well as hamburgers and hot dogs. He also shopped for odds and ends like Barbeque Sauce. On a whim, he picked up some ice cream.

After about 20 minutes of shopping independently, they met up and reviewed what they had in their carts. They went through the line and paid for their stuff and walked out of the store. They had parked pretty far away. Spike offered to go get the truck and Callie refused. They made it to the truck and put their stuff in the back.

"Go ahead and hop in Callie. I will take the cart back to the store and be along in a moment. Don't forget to lock the door." He walked away and Callie locked the doors, holding the truck keys in her hand, while watching her father. She saw someone walking towards him and watched like a hawk.

The guy appeared to be asking Spike for directions and Spike gestured and turned to walk back to the truck when Callie watched in horror as the Guy pushed Spike to the ground and pulled out a gun. Callie bit her hand to keep from screaming and picked up her phone and Dialed the first number that she thought of, as the guy shot Spike for the first time.

"Yeah Callie? Don't you have school tomorrow? Where's your dad at?" Sam yawned into the phone. Callie sniffled and flinched as the guy shot Spike again and started to walk away. She wanted to go check on her father and got out of the truck, shutting the door very gently. She then ran over to Spike, falling down next to him.

"Sam. I am at the grocery store. Someone shot my father. The guy left. Dad? DADDY, Are you ok? Sam, he's not talking to me. Daddy?" Sam could be heard getting dressed. He was talking to Callie but she wasn't Listening.

"Callie. Listen to me. Look at him. Check for wounds. Put pressure on them. Stay on the phone with me. Use your father's phone to call 911. I'm going to call the others. I am 5 minutes out. Ok Callie?" Callie started crying and saw some people coming over.

"Ok Sam. Hurry please!" She grabbed Spike's phone and called 911 and then hung up with the dispatcher after being told that the police and paramedics would be on their way in a moment and picked up her phone again, crying even harder.

"Sam. I see two wounds. One on his side, and one in the shoulder. Daddy? Please wake up. Please don't leave me. Daddy please! Sam where are you? Damn it! I can't handle this!" She could hear sirens and instinctively knew it was someone from Team One. She was crying harder now.

"Callie. I am pulling into the lot now I see you. The others are on their way." Callie hung up and dropped the phones as she tried to stop the blood from Spike's side wound. She felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped her head up and looked into Sam's eyes. She could see the paramedics behind him and scooted across to make room for them.

"Callie; Come here. You are all right. Let it out. Come on. I am going to drive you to the hospital. They have already taken your father. The others will meet us at the hospital and the cops are going to want to talk to you. I already called your grandparents." Sam helped her to his truck and shut the door and drove off to the hospital.

When they got there, Sam held Callie's hand as they ran through the parking lot the emergency entrance. Callie went to the front desk immediately.

Michelangelo Scarlatti. He was just brought in with two gunshot wounds. I'm his daughter. How is he?" The nurse looked up at her. She handed her a clipboard with forms.

"I don't know they just brought him in. We need information from Next of Kin regarding history. Please get it to us as soon as you can." Callie took the board and followed Sam to the lounge area and started filling out the forms.

"Sam? Have you heard anything?" Callie looked up briefly to see Ed, Greg and Wordy standing there. Jules was picking up Spike's parents and bringing them to the hospital. Callie finished filling out the forms and took them over to the nurse at the desk. She promised to keep her updated as often as she could.

"Callie. How are you holding up?" Callie looked up into Greg's eyes. She shrugged and held up her hands. They were darkly stained with Spike's blood. She looked at them and started crying again. Greg held her for a moment and told the others that he was going to take her to get cleaned up.

After a few minutes, Callie sat down away from everyone and bit her lip. Her grandparents had arrived, and so had Jules. Sophie and Clark had come too. Sophie told her that she and Clark had gone to the store and gotten the truck parked it at their house and put their groceries away for them. Callie was touched. Clark had just sat down next to her and hugged her.

"Excuse me. Callie? I have your father's personal effects. His wallet, his ring that he was wearing, and his cross necklace." Callie took the bag from the nurse, thanked her and hugged the bag to her chest.

"Excuse me, we are looking for Calessandra Scarlatti." Callie looked up to see two men dressed in suits. She looked at Greg and saw him nod. She raised her hand and acknowledged the two men.

"I'm Calessandra. Can I help you gentlemen?" They flashed their badges. Callie nodded. The one who looked to be the veteran of the two held out his hand for her to shake. Callie did so hesitantly.

"Is there somewhere private we can talk Ma'am?" Callie shook her head.

"Everyone in this room is family. I have nothing to hide from them. I have to be here to hear about my father." The detective nodded.

"Your father was shot? Why don't you tell us all about it." Callie raised an eyebrow at his tone and leaned back a little bit. Greg and Ed flanked her on each side, so she wasn't scared or nervous.

"My father and I went to the grocery store tonight after eating Dinner. He had left me in the truck to take the cart back to the store. I noticed that he was coming back and someone approached him. I assumed that he was lost. I had a weird feeling about the whole thing so I watched them. I saw him shoot my father. I picked up my phone and called Sam, who works with my father, and watched as he shot my father a second time and walked away." The detective nodded and made a couple notes in his notebook.

Callie waited for the questions. She knew there would be a few at least. She wasn't the least bit afraid anymore. She knew instinctively that Spike was going to be ok. Greg put his hand on Callie's shoulder, drawing her out of her musings.

"When you saw he had walked away, what did you do?" Callie took a deep breath.

"I got out of the truck and ran over to my father. I saw he was bleeding." The detective nodded again.

"Did you manage to get anything for a description? I mean you were traumatized, so you probably weren't paying attention." Callie stiffened and looked at him. She knew that Ed was pissed. Greg patted her back reassuringly.

"He was maybe 6ft. Scrawny. Wore glasses. Black frames. Long Black Hair. Heavy Blue Coat. White Pants. Is that a good enough description for you detective? They were only maybe 15 feet away from the truck." She turned away from him. Just then there was a throat clearing.

"Excuse me. I am looking for Mr. Scarlatti's next of kin." Callie stood up.

"I am his daughter. How is he Doctor?" The doctor gestured to the hall. Callie shook her head.

"Everyone's family in here. Just tell me please." The doctor nodded. He gestured to some x-rays.

"Your father is a very lucky man. Another two inches to the left and the bullet would have hit the heart. We removed the bullet from his shoulder and the bullet that was in his side. They are ready for processing detective. He will be kept for a few days. And then he can go home." Callie nodded.

"Is he awake doctor? Because when I got to him, he wasn't talking to me." The doctor nodded.

"He's awake. Upset about having to stay. Asking about his daughter. I assume that's you. Come on I will take you to his room. Two visitors at a time." Just as Callie got up, the detective flashed his badge again.


	15. Chapter 15

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 15

"We need to speak to him first Doctor. We need his statement of what happened from his point of view, without any interference from anyone else. Standard Measure." The detective stood there and waited. Callie deferred to Greg, even though she really wanted to lay into the detective for being such an insensitive jerk. Greg stood up, extending a hand to the detective to shake.

"Detective. Sgt. Greg Parker with the Strategic Response Unit. You can see him after Callie has a chance to assuage her fears over having witnessed her father getting shot. She won't tell him anything. I am sure that you can wait." The detective pushed past him and gestured to the doctor. Callie bit her lip but said nothing.

"Don't worry Callie. I am sure that he will be ok. They DO need to talk to Spike to get his side of everything. Time is critical if they want to catch the person who did this. They will only be in there for just a few minutes. How are you holding up?" Callie nodded while rubbing her neck.

"I think I am ok. I will be fine when I see my father for myself and know that he's still alive." She took Spike's cross necklace out of the bag and put it on. She put the ring on her thumb as well. The wallet, she took and put in the pocket of her sweatpants, noticing for the first time, that they had blood on the legs. She shuddered.

"I need to change these pants when I get home. I didn't realize that they had blood on them. Can I keep them or should I toss them. I think I am going to be sick. " She started to tear up again, and Greg patted her back gently, whispering soothing words to her to calm her down.

"You can just wash them. It should wash out. If not toss them in the garbage. It's really up to you. You can always get a new pair of sweat pants." Callie nodded and smiled briefly at him, silently thanking him. She continued to rub the back of her neck.

"We are done now. You can go in and see him. Just don't leave town for now." Callie started to get up from her seat when the detectives words registered in her brain. She narrowed her eyes at him, stood up and looked him square in the eyes.

"Just what do you mean by that Sir? If you are thinking that I had anything to do with my father getting shot, you are wrong. I didn't. Excuse me. Grandma will you and Grandpa come with me please?" They left the room and the detective looked at Sam.

"What about you Sir? Calessandra said that she had called you. Tell me what she said." Sam didn't particularly like this guy, or his attitude for that matter. He shook his head and ignored the detective. Greg nudged his foot. Sam gave him a dirty look, which Greg returned with a smile.

"She informed me that someone had shot her father. She was in the parking lot of the grocery store. I instructed her to call 911 and that I would call the rest of the team as well as Spike's parents. I told her to get back to me when she had called them. She did. I instructed her to look for any wounds and apply pressure. She did. That's it." The detective nodded and made a couple more notes to his notebook.

Spike's parents came back without Callie. They informed Greg that Spike wanted to see him and Sam next. The detective noted that Callie hadn't come back with her Grandparents. Jules snorted and poked Wordy who nodded. Ed sat with his wife and Son and watched the Detectives like a hawk.

"Detectives, I think that you have more then enough information to start your investigation now. Please let us know how it's going. Now I think you had better leave. Do not stay here and continue to harass the minor child or her father, or anyone else. I know how you play the game. So leave. Now" Ed waited for them to comply.

A couple hours later, Callie walked into her house. Against everyone's objections, She wanted to stay at home. She knew that she was going to sleep in Spike's bed tonight. Her grandma and grandpa stayed at the house with her. She had already decided that she was not going to go to school the next day. After she got a good nights sleep, she was going to go back to the hospital and visit Spike.

"Good Night Grandma, Night Grandpa. See you in the morning. I am going to bed. The guest room upstairs is already made up for you. Love you." Callie went upstairs and got clean clothes, and took a quick shower, before heading into Spike's room and crawling into his bed.

The next morning, Callie got up, took a shower, got dressed, made up Spike's bed and went down to make herself something to eat. Before starting food, she started a pot of coffee remembering that her Grandparents had slept over. She decided to wait to make food until they had gotten up to see if they wanted anything.

She started cooking Bacon and eggs and some toast when she heard them coming down the stairs. She scooped eggs and bacon on the plates and put toast on as well. She poured them coffee and sat to eat her own food. Her Grandmother smiled.

"Glad that you are learning to cook and fend for yourself so well Callie. We're going to go see your father this morning after your Grandfather and I have a chance to go home and freshen up. Are you going to come with us or are you going to stay here?"

"I am going to stay here Grandma. I want to collect the mail when it comes as well as just be alone for a few minutes. Don't worry. I will await your return." Callie laughed. They left promising to be back soon. Callie did up the dishes and got together a bag of things for Spike. She put a pair of slippers in, a couple changes of clothes, as well as some books and magazines. She set the bag on the table for when they left and hurried out to pick up the mail.

A couple hours later, she was in her Grandparents car on the way to the hospital. She was excited about seeing her father again, and hoped that he would be home again soon. She found that she really didn't care to be away from him all that much.

"We will meet you at your father's room sweetie in about an hour. Your Grandpa wants to look in the gift shop for something. Tell your father. And please be careful" Callie nodded and picked up the bag with Spike's stuff and made her way to the elevator.

Once up on the floor, she followed her memory to Spike's room. She peeked inside in case he was resting and saw him talking to the same stupid detective from the night before. She rolled her eyes, promised she'd be nice and knocked on her way in.

"Hi Dad. Detective. How are you Dad? Did you sleep well last night? Or get any sleep for that matter." She sat in the chair opposite of the detective and tried to ignore him. Spike smiled at her. She hugged him gently and set the bag on the foot of the bed.

"I slept ok I guess. As well as I could have a hole in my side and another in my shoulder, as the shoulder wrapped like a burrito. You ARE ok though right? That guy didn't see you? You know you should have stayed in the truck. Ed was by this morning before work." Callie smiled then turned to the detective.

"Detective, can you come back another time please? I really want to have a chat with my father. Privately if you don't mind." The detective stood up and left without a word. Spike patted the bed and Callie sat down, leaning down for a gentle hug.

"Before I forget. Grandma and Grandpa will be up in a few. Grandpa wanted to look in the gift shop for something. I brought you a couple changes of clothes, some books and magazines too." Spike nodded and yawned into his hand, which set Callie off to yawning.

"So how are you doing Callie? I am so sorry that you had to see all of that. The doctor told me that you saved my life last night. And got a pretty good description of the guy. Good for you." Callie nodded. She was trying to find a way to tell Spike that he had scared the shit out of her.

"Dad. I was so scared last night. I kept calling you and you didn't answer me. I kept crying for you and you didn't reassure me. I felt naked without your guidance. I was trying to be strong around everyone last night. But as soon as I was alone, I crawled into your bed and cried like a baby." Spike nodded and held her close for another hug.

"I know sweetie. But I am still alive. The doctor said that I could go home in another two days. I am to rest at home for 2 weeks, and then I can go back to work. Your butt WILL be in school tomorrow. I won't say anything about today because I understand why you are here instead. I am glad you are here." Callie shrugged.

"Callie honey, I know that I scared you and I am sorry for that. That guy said he wanted directions. I know that it had to be frightening for you to sit there next to me helpless while I was unconscious. I tried to find my way back to reassure you. I couldn't. Do you feel a little bit better now?" Callie nodded again and settled in for a nice chat.

They passed the rest of the time talking about various things. Spike's parents popped in and stayed for a bit. Members of the team dropped by for visits through out the day. Callie was just happy that Spike was going to be ok. When Wordy had popped in for a visit and was ready to leave, she asked Spike if she could go to the station and work out for a while. Spike agreed and Wordy said that he would give her a ride there and back home when he got off shift that night.

Right after Wordy had parked at the station and locked up, the alarm sounded and Team One was called out for a Man who had barricaded himself into a motel room with one hostage. Callie waved them off and went inside to see Winnie sitting at the desk. She gave her a high five as she walked past and went into the locker room to get changed in a work outfit.

After a half hour of warming up, she started with the punching bag. She punched it for a few minutes, before executing a couple roundhouse kicks at it. Suddenly she started punching it with unleashed fury. Ignoring the pain in her arm, she fell to her knees.

She didn't know how long she knelt there, clutching her knees to her chest, crying heart-wrenching sobs that seemed to well up from somewhere deep inside her chest. She flopped onto her side, continuing to cry. She was hurting and she didn't care anymore.

"Callie? Callie honey what's wrong?" Ed knelt down next to her to find her clutching her wrist. He could see that it was swollen a good deal and removed the gloves that she had put on to practice with. She pulled her wrist away from Ed's hands and cradled it against her chest. Ed stood up, all business.

"Ok. Callie. We need to get that looked at. I think it's broken. Come on. I will take you." Callie allowed herself to be picked up and led from the room. She walked out to Ed's truck and climbed in. Ed was started to get a little concerned. Callie wasn't saying a word. He tried a couple times to get her to talk before giving up for the time being. She would talk when she was ready.

When they got to the hospital, Ed kept his hand firmly on Callie's shoulder. He knew she'd run if he let go. Even if she ran, he knew where he would find her. Callie tried at first to subtlety to shrug him off, but Ed merely tightened his grip. Callie shrugged and watched up to the front desk.

"Excuse me Nurse. My niece here needs to see a doctor about her wrist. I think that she broke it. It's pretty swollen." Ed showed the nurse Callie's arm, which had swelled a little more and was starting to bruise. The nurse nodded and ushered them into a cubicle in the back. She told Callie that the doctor would be in a moment and left to page a doctor.

"You didn't have to come with me Ed. Thank You. I appreciate it. A lot." Callie smiled a little at him and Ed nodded back with a very serious look on his face. Callie knew he was going to push until she talked to him. Let him push. She could be just as patient as he could.

"I know. Your father would kill me if I left you alone here. After we are done here, we are going to see him. I already called your Grandparents and told them that you were staying at our house tonight. Do you want to talk about it?" Callie Shrugged and Ed let it go for the time being.

"Hello. I am Dr. Long. The nurse tells me that we have a possible broken Wrist. Can I take a look?" Callie nodded and presented her wrist for the Dr. to look at. He gently palpated it, drawing a couple sharps breaths from Callie. After a few minutes he sat back and looked at Callie.

"Well. I know it's broken. But I am going to send you down or some x-rays anyway. I want to see if a cast would be enough or if I have to perform surgery. Hop into this wheelchair, I will take you down myself. Do you want your father to come to or stay here?"

"He's my uncle and he can come. I don't mind. Thank you." After an hour, Callie and Ed were on their way up to see Spike briefly before leaving to go back to Ed's house. Callie had begged Ed to stop at their house first so she could get her stuff. Ed agreed.

"Calessandra Marie Scarlatti! What the holy hell happened to your wrist!" Spike sat up quickly in his bed and swung his legs over, prepared to get up. Ed stopped him from getting up. He still looked a little weak to be getting up without assistance.

"I broke it Dad." Callie's reply was short and clipped. She settled herself into one of the chairs and ignored the both of them. Spike raised his eyebrows at her tone and looked at Ed for details. Ed shrugged.

"All I know is she was on the floor of the gym and clutching her wrist. She didn't tell me what happened or how she did a number on the wrist. She broke it. It's going to be in that cast for at least 6-8 weeks. The doctor said that in 4 weeks he would take the cast off and x-ray it to see if she needed surgery. She's going to sleep over at my house tonight. School tomorrow." Spike nodded.

"Callie, come over here please." Callie sat down on the bed and allowed Spike to pull her close for a hug.

"Sweetie. Talk to me. What happened?" Callie shook her head. Spike sighed and motioned to Ed to give them a few minutes. Ed mumbled something about having to use the bathroom and took off down the hall.

"Callie. We need to talk. Don't you think so?"


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note:

Hey everyone. So sorry to have kept you waiting for so long with updates for this fic. I had a lot of things getting in the way of writing this. But I am definitely back now for a while. I will be rounding up this story soon. What I would really like from you guys are reviews. Pretty please!

Anytime you need a Friend  
Chapter16

Callie froze. She didn't like the tone of her father's voice. She didn't look up. Instead, she just kept her head on his chest, refusing to look him in the eyes. She tried for the nonchalant approach, hoping that it would throw him off for a little while at least. She didn't think that it would, but one could have a little hope.

"So come here, sit on the bed and talk to me. Tell your father all of your secrets for the day and evening sweetie. How are you doing?" Callie shrugged and didn't move from her perch on the chair.

She settled herself a little more comfortably in the chair and faced Spike, Hoping that her face didn't give anything away. Being around him for two years had given her a crash course in practicing not giving anything away. She tried to practice it a little bit every day. It helped when she didn't agree with someone's opinion at school.

As she looked at her father, she knew it didn't work as well as she had hoped. She knew her father saw right through the facade that she was trying to put up. And she knew that he wasn't about to give up asking just because she was trying to politely give out the hint that she wasn't interested in talking about it at the moment.

Spike was thinking hard, trying to come up with any possible reasons as to why Callie would be so standoffish. She hadn't been this way since the very first day he met her and talked her off of that ledge while he had been out jogging. This was a definite back slide he knew that. But at the same time, he knew that he couldn't negotiate her.

"No. We don't Dad. We can just sit here and visit until Ed comes back and then I need to go home and get some of my things since I am sleeping at Ed and Sophie's tonight and get some sleep. I have school in the morning. I think that Ed is pretty tired. I don't really want or care to talk about it right now." Spike raised an eyebrow at her.

"I do not appreciate your tone of voice young lady. If you are upset, you need to tell me so I can help you." Callie rolled her eyes, got up and settled once more in the chair beside the bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes. Spike watched her carefully. She was close, he only had to push a little more and she'd spill what was hurting her.

"Well I don't have anything to say at this moment Dad. All I want is for Ed to come back, so I can get some sleep and go to school in the morning. I am not really doing anything worthwhile here or at home. When are you getting out of here anyway? You've been here three days." Callie looked out the window at a helicopter coming in.

"I think I will be getting out of here in the morning so I could pick you up from school if you wanted me to. Or Sam and I could. I don't think I am supposed to drive just yet. Probably in about a week I can start driving again. Are you sure that there's nothing you want to talk about right now?"

"No. There. Isn't. Please stop asking. If there were something to talk about, I would have said something by now Dad. And no. I am walking home from School." Callie sighed and ignored him for a few minutes. Now it was Spikes' turn to roll his eyes. He did so and then chastised himself for the childish behavior. He laughed to himself. He patted the bed and Callie sat down, curling up next to him

He decided against pushing her for the time being. He'd have Ed do that. He did it really well at times. Often when you didn't want him to do it. That was the best time. When it caught you off guard. You ended up saying a lot of stuff that you wouldn't say otherwise. He'd speak with Ed before they left. Spike's heart ached that Callie was hurting and she wouldn't talk to him. He was pulled from his thoughts when Ed returned.

"Hey Callie. Do you want to start walking down the hall? I will catch up with you in a couple minutes. I want to ask Spike something about work. Greg wants to know something about university classes." Callie nodded, kissed and hugged Spike and walked out the door, parking herself in a chair down the hall. Turning to Spike Ed settled in a chair.

"I'm going to push her pretty hard Spike. I apologize about it now. I know it's related to you getting shot. I think she needs to talk. I think that she went to town on the punching bag. It had some blood smeared on it, and there was a little bit on the ground. But anyway about the classes. Greg wants to talk to you tomorrow at the station. I know you are getting out of here tomorrow. Sam will be here in the morning to pick you up and drive you to the station."

Ed turned and left, knowing that he had to catch up with Callie. Spike was left alone with his thoughts. He had a pretty good idea that Greg wanted him to teach a couple classes at the university. Probably a couple of introductory bomb defusing courses and an introduction to the SRU course. He had taught those classes before.

'It might not be such a bad idea. Teach a couple classes each week. Maybe Callie would like to sit on some of the classes. Who knows, maybe she would even like to take a college class or two in her spare time.' He turned over on his side and fell asleep. Meanwhile, Ed and Callie were driving towards her house to get some stuff for her for school the next day.

"So Callie, You haven't had dinner yet, and you've had a pretty long day. Do you want to stop for a sandwich or do you want me to make you something when we get back. Clark and Sophie and Izzy are probably fast asleep by now, I wouldn't mind making you something when we got there. Of course Sophie's probably still waiting up for me." Callie shook her head.

"No. I think I will make a sandwich at home. If that's ok with you and if you don't mind waiting a few extra minutes for me to make it." Ed nodded, thinking that if he were going to push Callie into talking, it would be better on her turf so she would feel more comfortable. He pulled into their drive and shut off the engine.

Callie went up to her room and got some things. She didn't have to bother about a pillow or anything. She packed her book bag and another bag with some clothes. She brought it down and set them on the table. She ran back upstairs and got a shirt of Spike's to wear. As much as she was angry, she was still a vulnerable little girl. She had also packed a small bag of stuff for Spike to wear tomorrow. While she was doing that, Ed was sitting at the table waiting.

"Uncle Ed, do you think that Dad would mind terribly if I took one of his work shirts. The T-shirts I mean. Not the actual uniform shirts. I miss him a little bit. But only a little bit. And not as much as you think I do." Ed nodded and smiled as she stuffed one of the shirts in her bag quickly as though embarressed.

"I don't think that he would mind. Clark has worn my t-shirts to school before. He may be a teenager, but I think having the shirt on helps him feel like he's close to me, when I'm working long shifts. It got to the point that I went out and bought extra because he was always taking them." Callie nodded and moved to the kitchen to pack her lunch real fast, as well as make a sandwich to eat before they left.

"Are you sure you don't want a sandwich Uncle Ed? I can make one real quick for you." Ed nodded for a sandwich and Callie made two sandwiches with Turkey and cheese, mayo for her and nothing for Ed. Ed was thinking about the fact that maybe after, Callie would want to talk about whatever was bothering her.

"Callie. Can we talk? Because I am trying to understand why you are upset and angry as well as the why and how of you breaking your wrist, but I have nothing to go on. No breadcrumbs or anything. So talk to me please." Callie shook her head. Ed got mildly frustrated. Then he smiled. Callie knew that smile.

"Ok, if that's how you want it. Although the Callie I know doesn't hide things. She doesn't keep things inside anymore like she's ashamed of them. Maybe you did something really bad that you are ashamed of. Oh well. Let me know when you are ready to get going. I will just take these out to the Truck for you." Callie mumbled something. Ed stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

Callie was still sitting in her seat, with her arms wrapped around her legs and looking tighter than a drum. Ed knew that what he had said had struck a nerve. He had meant to. He wanted to know what was bothering her so much. He hated that he had to say something to hurt her feelings, even if it meant getting her to talk to him.

"I didn't quite catch that Callie. You want to repeat that?" Callie just looked at him and shook her head again. She had tears falling down her cheeks, that she brushed away angrily. Ed dropped the bags on the floor and sat down with her. He took her into his arms for a hug, but she pushed him away.

"Callie? Talk to me please. I don't understand what's wrong and I really want to. Help me understand. Help me to help you." Ed walked over to her and tried to hug her again, only to get pushed away again.

"He. Had. No. Right." As soon as she had said that, Callie clapped a hand over her mouth, shocked that she had finally vocalized a little bit of what was bothering her so much. Ed looked slightly confused.

"I know Callie. That guy had no right to shoot your father. I get that but-" Callie cut him off and stood up, tipping her chair over angrily.

"NO! MY FATHER HAD NO RIGHT TO GET SHOT. HE HAS NO RIGHT TO DO STUPID SHIT THAT WOULD TAKE HIM AWAY FROM PEOPLE THAT LOVE HIM. NO FUCKING RIGHT TO SCARE THE FUCK OUT OF ME!" Callie tried desperately to control her breathing instead of passing out. Ed reached to steady her, guiding her to her chair.

It was suddenly all so clear. He suddenly understood so much about her attitude the past few days. He should have seen it coming a mile away. Callie wasn't blaming herself like he thought she was. No She was angry with Spike because she was so scared because she hadn't wanted to lose him.

"Callie please sit down. Let's talk about this. I understand so much now. You are mad at your father because he got shot. But I think you know deep down that was NOT his fault. It was the guy who shot him. Thanks to you, we got a really good description. We will find the guy." Callie shrugged, but still looked angry.

"That's how you broke your wrist. You imagined you were yelling at and beating up your father for scaring you. Don't worry I won't tell anyone. But I think that you need to sit down with your father and tell him your fears. I think that it would make you feel better. And it might help him to understand." Callie shrugged.

"Callie. If you won't talk to me or your father about this, then we need to find someone that you WILL talk to about it. You need to talk to someone and express and deal with your anger. It's not healthy for you to keep being so angry at your father. Anger can be really bad when left unchecked."

Callie turned away from him not saying another word. She knew that Ed was right, but she didn't want to admit it. She wasn't as angry with her father now that she had verbalized when she was feeling. She was just emotionally upset. She wiped her face.

"Can we just go to your house now please? It's late and I am so tired now. I just want to get some sleep and be rested for school in the morning. Dad gets out tomorrow. I am going to be busy helping him if he needs any around the house. I just want to stop talking so much." Ed nodded and reached for Callie's chin.

"On the condition that if you want or need to talk, you come to me, or your father. Or someone." Callie nodded and took the dirty dishes to the sink and did them up real fast. She threw the garbage away and sat down again and looked at Ed.

Ed stood up. He took Callie's bag out to the truck and come back in for her to find her asleep, leaning against the table. He shook his head, draped a blanket over her and carried her out to the truck and put her seatbelt on. After checking that he had everything, he set the alarm, locked the door and drove to his place.

When he got there, he saw that Sophie was still awake as Callie had predicted and had the guest room already made up. Ed laid Callie down on the bed, took her shoes off, and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. He watched as she wiggled under the covers and stuffed her head under the pillow. He left the door open partway and went down the hall to check on Clark and then crawled into his own bed to sleep the remainder of the night.


	17. Chapter 17

Anytime You need a Friend

Chapter17

A couple days later Spike finally got out of the hospital. He had developed a minor fever and the doctor had wanted to keep him a little longer. Callie was fine with it. She was alternating between staying with Ed and staying with Wordy and she was doing ok with the change. She had only stayed home alone once. She was going to school everyday, and to her clubs and working out and doing fine. At least that was what she was hoping everyone thought.

The weekend that Spike got out found Callie doing some yard work around the house. She and Spike had put in a little garden and Callie faithfully tended the garden everyday. She had, with Ed's teaching learned to operate the riding mower and cut the grass every week. She had heard from Spike. He said that he and Sam were going to stop by Greg's place to speak to him and then go grocery shopping and then they would be by.

Callie had gone to Ed once, told him that she was wrestling with things that she needed to talk to someone else about and he'd helped her find a therapist that she could talk to about things. He was even gracious enough to take her to a couple appointments and pick her up. He had told her that she needed to tell Spike that she was seeing someone about the mess and still needed to talk to him about her feelings, to which Callie had rolled her eyes.

She was putting talking to her father off for as long as she possibly could. She didn't really want to get into it with her father just yet. She was trying to get a grip on her emotions about everything before she spoke to him about what was on her mind. She had gone up to the hospital to see him last night, and he seemed to be doing pretty well.

While she thought about how best to approach Spike with what she needed to say, She pulled weeds out of the flower garden that Spike had given her permission to put in. She found that she really enjoyed manual labor. She was pitching the last of the rubbish into the garbage can and putting the lid on it when she heard a car pull into the drive.

'Finally they are back. I hope Dad brought some good stuff back from the store. I really want to cook something for dinner.' She walked around to the front yard to see a black car sitting there and someone getting out. No make that two people. Callie knew exactly who they were and debated going to the backyard and ignoring them.

She dialed Spike before acknowledging them. She really didn't want to deal with them but she wanted to know what Spike would like for her to do. She knew that he would probably want her to be as polite as possible. He answered on the first ring, making her think that he was sitting on his phone, instead of it being in his pocket.

"Hello, Scarlatti speaking. Hi Sweetie. How are you? Is something wrong?" Callie laughed softly and reached up to wipe her forehead while answering him, trying to choose her words as carefully as she could to avoid upsetting him. Although she knew that he was going to be upset no matter how she put what she had to tell him.

"Daddy, Mom's parents are here again. What do you want me to do? I would really rather not bother with them, but I am trying to be polite. Also I don't know what exactly it is that they want. And I know that you want me to be polite." There was an audible sigh and then Spike started speaking, trying really hard to not sound frustrated or angry.

"Callie. Talk to them outside. Do not allow them in the house. Sam and I are 20 minutes away, on our way back from the grocery store. Be there soon. Do not go anywhere alone with them. Love you and be nice. I mean it." Callie rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure I can't just tell them to leave and go inside and lock the door dad? I think that would be more fun. Not to mention very, very satisfying Dad." She could almost hear Spike's admonishing in her ear and winced at her attitude. Spike sighed.

"No, young lady. Whether you like it or not they are your grandparents and you can't just order them to leave. We will discuss your attitude later." Callie hung up without another word and walked towards Marcus and Eileen, who were knocking on the door.

"Hello. Can I help either of you? I thought you weren't going to be showing up around here anymore. What is it that you need?" The two people turned to her, taking in her grubby attire. Eileen wrinkled her nose a little bit in distaste but then smiled. Marcus stepped forward.

"We need to speak to your father is he at home Callesandra?" Callie shook his head, biting her tongue over being called by her full name. She still hadn't gotten used to people calling her by her full name. While she understood that it was her name, her father had yet to call her by it. No one on team one did it, nor did anyone in her family.

"He will be home in about 20 minutes. Is it something that I can help you with perhaps?" He shook his head and smiled at her, which made her skin crawl, though she tried not to show it. She took a step back and put the rake against the house, acting as though she was comfortable around them, when she really wasn't comfortable.

"No there isn't young lady, it's something only your father can help with. How is school going for you? Are you happy at your school? Are you doing well in school." Callie raised an eyebrow. She had a small inkling of why they were there. She intended to make things as difficult for them as possible if it turned out that she was right.

"Fine. School is going fine. Thank you for asking me." After a few more minutes for polite chatter, which Callie decided that she wasn't very good at, Spike and Sam pulled into the driveway. Callie turned away to help Sam with the groceries while Spike waited a moment before getting out of the car. When he did, it was obvious to everyone that Spike was in pain. Callie rushed forward

"Daddy, Let me help you. Did the doctor give you a cane or anything to use? I will get your stuff in a few minutes. I had Sam grab one of the lawn chairs for you to sit while you talk to them. I am going to put the groceries away while you talk. Would you like Lemonade?" Spike nodded his head and Callie headed inside. Spike settled himself in the chair and thanked Sam, who brought a couple extra chairs for Marcus and Eileen.

"What do you want Marcus. Eileen? I thought that the judges' ruling was cut and final. You are not getting Custody of Callie. My lawyer and I have made that very clear. If that is why you are here, then we have nothing to discuss and I will have to ask you to leave." Spike waited watching Marcus intently. Marcus nodded.

"Yes. We know that. We still wish to know our Granddaughter. Even if only from a distance or short visits. We are asking for visitation Michelangelo, not to take her from you. We know that she can never replace Allesandra, but she is the only Grandchild we will ever have. We want to get to know her, and her know us. We will agree to anything you say. Supervised, visiting here, whatever. Please." Spike nodded.

"That has to be Callie's decision. I will talk to her about it. You will have to accept her decision and feelings on the subject." Just then Callie came out with a tray of glasses with Lemonade in them. She set the tray down and handed them out. Eileen smiled at Callie as she took her glass from her.

"You have your mother's eyes and nose you know. You also have hair the color of your great Grandmother." Callie raised an eyebrow at her comment and smiled briefly at her before turning to her father.

"Is there anything else Dad? I'm going to get your things from Sam's truck and take them in to put away. I am also going to start a load of laundry." Spike nodded and waved her off. Callie took the stuff inside and did her own thing. Marcus spoke up before taking a sip of his lemonade.

"Could we possibly take you and Callesandra out to Dinner tonight? We would like to get to know you as well as we can and as well as establish a relationship of some kind with Callesandra." Spike looked at him, debating the sincerity of his request.

"I will have to discuss it with Callie and get back to you with her answer. Is that alright?" Marcus nodded and extended a business card to Spike, who took it cautiously, looking it over quickly. Marcus smiled and held out his hand for a shake.

"This has my Cell phone number on it. It is the best way to reach me. I look forward to hearing from you. If possible by 5pm. I'd like to make reservations for 7pm if you agree. Does Callie have an allergies?" They spoke for a few more minutes, and then Marcus and Eileen left. Spike made his way into the house. Sam had already left, stating that he needed to pick up some things.

"Callie. What have you been doing while I have been laid up? The yard looks good as do the gardens. Come sit at the table with me, I have something that I want to discuss with you. Grab something to drink for both of us and sit." Spike watched her gather the drinks and a snack and sit down across from him. She looked at him.

"What did they want this time Dad? Are they taking you back to court because they want me still? I hope not. I'd really rather hate to have to disrupt my life again." Spike smiled at her and held out his arms for a hug. Callie snuggled in for a hug and hugged him as tight as possible without hurting his side or shoulder. He kissed her head.

"Your grandparents were not here to contest custody. They want visitation with you. They have expressed a desire to know you. They know that you can not replace your mother, But they want to know you and you to know them. I told them that it was your call, however I think that having ties to your mother's side of the family would be a good thing." Callie gestured for him to go on.

"They have expressed an interest in taking the two of us to dinner tonight. I think we should go. But I said that it had to be your decision. You have until 5pm to decide if you would like to go. I will give your grandfather a call at that time to say yes or no. I don't want to force you to go, but I think that it would be good for you." Callie nodded.

"I would like to go upstairs now dad. I need to think about it and decide. No wait. I will go. I would like to see if they are sincere. Will you find out where we are going?" Spike nodded and Callie ran upstairs to sort through her wardrobe. She knew her father would point her in the right direction in a few minutes. True to that thought, in 10 minutes, Spike finally came upstairs.

"Callie. Your grandparents are making reservations at Maurice's for 7pm tonight. Dress nicely. A dress but not black tie fancy. Do you need help picking something out?" Callie shook her head and walked back into her closet. She dragged out four dresses. Spike had made himself comfortable on her couch. She raised an eyebrow.

"We need to talk about a few things. We have five hours before we need to meet them at the restaurant. Sit down." Callie put her dresses back and sat down on her bed. Spike made himself comfortable. Callie could swear that she could tell that he knew about her anger towards him for getting shot. She thought that she had done a fairly good job hiding it.

"Callie. I will not tolerate your attitude towards your grandparents tonight. If you do not shape up and learn to be polite, I will start paddling your butt. I know that you resent what they have done in the past and do not feel as though you can trust them. You have to learn to trust them. One day at a time. Do you understand me?" Callie nodded.

"Another thing. I spoke with Ed. He told me that there were some things that you needed to tell me but weren't sure when you were going to tell me. I am giving you the floor to tell me now." Callie stood up and paced the floor.

"Ed had no right to tell you anything. No right whatsoever. He betrayed my confidence." Spike held up his hand, stalling her ranting.

"Ed didn't tell me any specifics. He only told me that you needed to talk to me, and that you weren't sure how I would take anything. So talk to me please Callie. I am here to listen. I will help you if you let me help you." Callie sat down.

"I'm mad at you. You had no right to get yourself shot Dad. With no regard for who would take care of me if you had died. All I could think of when you were shot is if you died, I would have to be raised by my grandparents. Mom's parents. They would take me away from everyone I know here and love and take me somewhere where I wouldn't know anyone and try to turn me into mom or something. I would rather kill myself than live with them."

"I hate you for hurting me in that way. You swore when we first met that you would never hurt me. Well you hurt me that night. I know this is slightly irrational and I am seeing someone to help me with these thoughts, it's going to take time and I hope that you can be patient with me Dad. I don't want to lose you." Spike nodded.

"I know it will and I support you seeing someone to help you. Anytime you need me I will be here as much and as often as I can be. I am going to my room and pick out clothes for tonight. I am sorry that I hurt you. But I am thankful that you were not hurt by that man and that you got such a good description. Thanks to you, the police made an arrest. Would you like my opinion on the dress you are going to wear tonight?" Callie nodded.

"I was thinking about the Dark Green or maybe the Blue one. Something Subtle, but not overdone. The Red one I think would be a little out of place and I think the Yellow is too bright for the atmosphere of that place. I don't know. Maybe. I have too many dresses Dad. I would be more comfortable in pants and a shirt." Spike smiled.

"The Green one would be perfect. It's subtle, and not to flashy, it doesn't draw much attention to itself. Are you going to wear your flats or your heels? A dress is mandatory." Callie held up a pair of heels and Spike nodded. He smiled and made his way out of the room to his room. Callie yelled that she was going to go take a shower and went up to her bathroom.

Spike picked out a white long sleeve dress shirt and his green tie. He put out his black dress pants and jacket. He went down the hall to his bathroom to shower and get cleaned up. After doing so, He called Ed to see if he wouldn't mind driving them to and from the restaurant. He had forgotten that he wasn't allowed to drive for a week. Ed agreed and made plans for him and his wife to have dinner. Clark was spending the weekend at his grandparents so he wouldn't be there.

A couple hours later, Callie got out of the tub and dried off and padded down the steps to her room. They had an hour before Ed and Sophie would be there. Callie shut her door and got out her undergarments and proceeded to get dressed. She had combed out her hair and put hot rollers in before getting into the tub. After getting into her underclothes, she took them out and sprayed her hair with hairspray. She quickly did her makeup and stepped into her dress pulling it up just as Spike knocked on the door.

"Callie, Ed and Sophie are here now. We need to get going in a few minutes in order to meet your grandparents. May I come in?" Callie consented and Spike opened the door.

"Dad, will you help me zip up please? I can't zip myself. And I am getting a draft." Spike zipped her up and she slipped her shoes on while fixing her necklace. When she turned around Spike's heart jumped into his throat. Callie moved towards him quickly.

"Daddy, are you ok? Is your side or shoulder hurting too badly?" Spike shook his head. Callie was disturbed by his period of silence. Just when she was about to call for Ed, Spike snapped out of his trance and smiled.

"In this moment Callie, you look just like your mother used to when she would get dressed up to go out on the town. Exactly like her. Come, We need to get going. I have a small surprise for you when we get downstairs." Callie turned out her light and walked behind Spike to the dining room.

"Hi Ed. Hi Sophie. How are you tonight? Thank you so much for driving us. Hopefully soon I will get my license and be able to drive places. A step toward independence. Which would be awesome." A new voice piped up.

"And what about me Callie? Don't I even rate at least a hey dork?" Callie turned around, coming face to face with Clark's smiling face, who looked very handsome in a Dark Grey suit. With his hair recently cut. He leaned in for a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi Clark. You look very handsome tonight. I thought that you were staying at your grandparents this weekend. What made you come home?" Clark smiled and took her hand.

"Spike asked me if I wouldn't mind. You have to see your mom's parents tonight and I thought that you could use all the familiar faces possible tonight. And besides I'm your best friend and boyfriend. It's what I am supposed to do. And no, you look far more gorgeous than I do handsome." Callie blushed. They made their way outside to Ed's car and climbed in. When they got to the restaurant, Callie could see her grandparents already waiting.


	18. Chapter 18

Anytime you need a Friend

Chapter 18

After they had given their coats to the coat check and were seated and were waiting for their waiter to come over and take their drink orders, Callie looked over across the room and saw Clark looking back at her. He gave her the thumbs up sign and then turned to order his drink. Callie smiled back and settled back against her chair and bit her bottom lip while looking at her menu.

"What are you thinking about having to eat tonight Dad? I think I am going to have the Cheddar pasta. It looks good. I'm not really in the mood for Steak or anything meat wise tonight. This is a really nice place. I've never been in here before." Spike smiled.

"I'm having Steak, that's what I have been craving for a while now. I kept meaning to pick some up today at the store and kept forgetting. What about you and Marcus Eileen? What are you having to eat? Have you been here before?" Eileen shook her head. Spike pointed to the menu.

"I have been here a few times. I highly recommend trying the steak. It's really good and they cook it exactly to your specifications. Either that or the baked Cod. Although I also like just the salad Bar. They have a lot of different things to try.

Callie noticed that Spike had her sitting across from Marcus. She didn't care for Marcus all that much. She would have rathered sit across from Eileen. But it was a little too late to do anything about it at the moment. She would make the best of the situation. Besides, she might learn something new from sitting across from him.

She really wished that she had declined the offer of dinner. It didn't matter that she was with her father. She was feeling very out of her comfort zone. She was going to try to make the best of it, regardless of how it made her feel. She was a Scarlatti. She did not run from uncomfortable situations. Besides, she had plenty of time to cultivate extreme patience, thanks to her father and hanging around with the rest of team one.

She was regretting her choice of dress for tonight; see as Eileen was wearing something vastly different. But she was here, and that was what counted right now. She had a chance to try to get to know her grandparents. She didn't have to trust them completely right off the bat. She was pulled from her thoughts when Spike nudged her.

"Callie do you know what it is that you would like to have to drink with your Dinner tonight? They have chocolate shakes. No wine. You aren't old enough to drink yet. What will it be tonight?" Spike asked gently nudging her with his foot. She peeked quickly at the menu and then she looked up at the waiter, who was waiting patiently. Callie smiled at him.

"Hi, I am very sorry to keep you waiting. Could I have a glass of water please and do you have sweet tea perhaps? A glass of that as well. Thank you. Dad. I don't drink to begin with. Italian or not." The waiter left them to choose their food, and Eileen looked at Callie, curious about this child, who resembled Allesandra more and more everyday.

"What grade are you in at school now Callesandra? Do you like your classes? Are there any that like better than others?" Callie looked up from her menu at her grandma, who seemed genuinely interested in her response and nodded enthusiastically. Remembering what Spike had said and not tolerating attitude, She smiled warmly.

"I am a sophomore now. Thank you for asking Grandma. Would you please call me Callie? I prefer it, if that's ok. The only time that anyone calls me Callesandra is when I am in trouble. Have you been here before?" They made small talk that Callie found herself enjoying. She was starting to like them a little more than she had previously. Which she thought was good.

Spike remained mostly quiet. He wanted to see how Callie interacted with her grandparents, but he didn't want to get in the middle of their conversation. Callie seemed to be holding their own, and so far he had not seen any of the attitude that he had cautioned her about. She was doing him proud. He was pulled from his musings when Callie poked him.

"Yes Callie? Sorry I was thinking about something work related. My mind wandered for a little while. What did you need sweetie?" Callie just shook her head at him and answered his phone for him , which was in his suit jacket pocket, still ringing, all the while giving him a funny look. He made a grab for his phone then settled for holding his hand out.

"Hello, Michelangelo Scarlatti's phone. His daughter speaking. Hi Greg. Yes Dad's right here. Of course you may speak to him. Can I drop by sometime next week? Cool. Bye Greg." Spike took the phone and excused himself from the table going outside to talk. After he had left, Marcus looked at Callie, who was fiddling with her necklace.

"So what do you like to do for fun Callie? Your hobbies and interests." Callie settled back and sipped her tea, which the waiter had refilled. He topped off Eileen's glass of wine and informed them that their food would be out shortly and went to attend to other tables. Before he left, he hand Callie a folded piece of paper and said that it was from the gentleman across the room in the black suit. Callie knew it was from Clark.

She read the note quickly and smiled to herself. Clark had said that he wanted to go for a walk after dinner while the adults talked more. Would she do him the honor of going with him? She looked at him, nodded, turned back to her table, put the note in her purse and answered her Grandfathers question. Despite her previous nervousness about being near them, knowing that her father would be right back, gave her comfort.

"I like to read, write, mostly poetry and short stories. I also like to listen to music, do Karate, Meditation. and some arts and Crafts as well. I am learning to knit and make scarves from Dad's Mother. I am making one for Dad for Christmas. I just need to pick out the colors that I want it to be. What do you like to do for fun." Marcus laughed.

"I golf and work with computers sometimes. Not often enough though. Your grandmother gardens and volunteers sometimes, we both read. we go dancing on occasion as well. We also travel, We have been all over Europe. We are planning to go to parts of Africa, this coming summer. What kind of music do you listen to?" Callie tilted her head at them.

"Pretty much anything. I don't care for Heavy metal though. Or Rap. Rap just irritates me. Some of it is not completely bad though. Right now I prefer some of the older country music. How is golfing fun? What do you like to read?" This carried on for several more minutes and then Spike reappeared. He seemed a little off but Callie didn't say anything.

Just as he sat down, the waiter came out with their food. Spike had gotten a steak with a side of vegetables. Callie had cheddar cheese pasta with Garlic bread. Marcus and Eileen both had steaks as well, but with baked potatoes. As they ate, Marcus asked Spike some questions in an effort to be polite as well as get to know him.

"How is work going for you these days Mike? Are you still with the Strategic Response Unit that you were with when we last spoke. I noticed that you are having a bit of a difficult time walking without a cane. Did you get injured at Work? Will you be off work for very long?" Spike shook his head. He looked at Marcus a moment before answering.

"No. I was attacked at the grocery store a couple weeks ago when Callie and I went grocery shopping in the evening. I was shot twice, once in the shoulder and once in the side. Unfortunately, Callie had to witness the whole thing. But she got a great description of the guy and there has been an arrest made. I am very proud of Callie." They made small talk over the rest of their meal. When they were finished, and were eating dessert, Spike spoke.

"After dinner, I have to stop by the station Callie. So does Ed. So unfortunately, You, Sophie and Clark have to go as well. Greg wants to speak to the team. Something to do with a transfer to somewhere or other. I'm just glad that it is the weekend. You can sleep in, in the morning. This is going to take a while, unfortunately." Callie nodded.

"That's ok. Clark wanted me to go from a walk with him. We can walk around the station or in the yard if the weather stays nice. If that's ok Dad. Otherwise we will just sit in one of the briefing rooms. At least we won't be alone at the station." Spike nodded and resumed eating his slice of cheesecake. Eileen looked at Callie.

"Who is this Clark that we keep hearing about Callie? He seems to have taken a rather large amount of your attention tonight." Callie smiled and blushed. She pointed him out to her and waved when he looked up. After she turned back to her grandmother, She took a few more bites of her cake before answering her, trying to choose her words carefully.

"He's my boyfriend. His father, Ed, works with my father on the team. I really like him. He's also in the karate class I am taking. We haven't been going out officially though. We've been waiting until I turn 16. Which I did a month ago. But he hasn't said anything about it. I'm not going to chase after him to get him to do so." After another few minutes, Spike stood up.

"Callie, we are going to have to get going now. It is getting late and Greg wanted to speak to Ed and me as soon as possible. I think that we are being tapped for a very important assignment. I will go get our coats. Be right back." Spike walked off and Callie watched as Ed followed after him. She sat back in the chair and Looked at her grandparents.

"Thank you both for a wonderful dinner. I am glad that I came tonight. My father said that you wanted visitation with me. I wouldn't mind, as long as it doesn't cut into my schoolwork. Or my karate. I would really hate to have to miss any of it. Sensei doesn't like it if we are late. I hope you understand that it might be awhile before I am comfortable around you both alone" Marcus and Eileen both nodded.

"Of course. We don't want you to get behind in your schoolwork do we? Maybe next time we visit you could both come over to our home here in town. I have a lot of pictures and things of your mother. I don't know if you'd like to see them or not. You have your father call us when you want to visit again." They all stood up as Spike came back. He handed Marcus and Eileen's coats to Marcus and helped Callie with her coat before putting his on.

"Maybe. I don't know. I would have to think about it first Grandma. I have a trip already planned for the Winter break before Christmas. A Karate tournament. Maybe I will come spend a little time at your house for Christmas. Nothing is really set in stone just yet. I will let you know definitely in a couple weeks if that is alright with you."

After thanking them for dinner again, Spike, Ed, Sophie, Clark and Callie were on their way to the station. Spike was puzzled by Greg's phone call summoning him and Ed both to the station. The rest of the team would be there as soon as Spike and Ed got there. When they got there, Callie could see that there were several vehicles there that were normally not there. She had a very weird feeling, but managed to hide it from her father.

After getting in and making sure that Sophie and the kids were settled in the briefing room, Spike and Ed walked into the normal briefing room. Taking a seat, they noticed that Sam and Wordy and Greg were already there. Jules was on her way. They made small talk until Jules arrived. When everyone was accounted for, Greg called order to the gathering.

"I just got a call about an hour ago from Commander Holleran. There are three prisoners that need to be transported across the country to different areas. We will be gone a week. You will get 2 weeks off after that. Spike I know that you are technically not supposed to be here until next week, but I want 2 people on each prisoner. I am giving you the least violent person. We would all be leaving tomorrow at 7am." Spike nodded.

"Ed, you would be working with Sam. Jules with me, and Wordy, you and Spike are working together. Ok everyone is dismissed. Go home and pack some things, and I will see you all here at 6:30am. Sharp. Travel attire is whatever is comfortable. You will need to wear your guns." Everyone got up and went about their business, Wordy offered to drive since Spike couldn't drive yet. Spike agreed and they made plans for Wordy to stop by and pick him up on the way.


	19. Chapter 19

Anytime you need a Friend

Chapter 19

The next day, Wordy had picked Spike up as scheduled and they dropped Callie off at school before driving to the station. When they had gotten there, they had found that Ed and Sam had already left because the trial date for their prisoner had been moved up and they needed to make up lost time. They were flying there and back, and that Greg and Jules were waiting for them. Wordy and Spike were going to follow them partway before going on.

When they had gotten to the station, Greg was waiting outside for them, Next to An SUV that had the person that they were transporting already sitting in the back seat. Greg left Jules standing guard over her and brief Spike and Wordy inside on what was going to happen. They had done transfers before, but never an extended one that took a whole week.

"Wordy, Spike, call if you need to. I will call when we are about at the first stop for food and stretching the legs. We will see you again when we stop. Good Luck. I had a chance to chat with the girl, and she seems to be a very nice person. She's not a prisoner, per say, but rather a witness for some trial. You will find all of the relevant information in this folder. After you reach your destination, make sure that you turn this over to the feds along with the girl."

The week felt like it had flown by. Spike had hated having to leave Callie alone for the whole week, but it was part of his job. He had to do it. He was looking forward to the two weeks off. More time for him to rest and recuperate and take it easy. He could also spend time with Callie. He also knew that his parents would consistently check in on her everyday.

Before he had left, He had sat down and talked to Callie about the fact that he would be gone for a week. The normal rules and regulations. Callie didn't disappoint him. She had stated that she would probably spend the majority of the week at his parents house or at school working on her routine. The only thing that he hated was the fact that he wasn't allowed to tell her anything about the transfer. This was mostly to insure privacy and safety.

He could still remember the conversation that they had, while Callie had been putting away her dress. She had been upset with the fact that he had to leave so suddenly and she expressed concern for him and Wordy. Spike had understood. Callie had said that she wanted to know nothing about the person or the transfer. She asked questions about the process, but that was it.

It was a routine transfer. He and Wordy had to take the young woman from their district to the Canadian- United States border and hand her over to the Federal marshals for her trial. She was so young, in a lot of ways, she reminded Spike of Callie. The girl maintained that she didn't know anything and gave them no problems. She was fine with where they stopped to eat, where they stopped to sleep. She didn't try to escape at all. This surprised Spike a little bit.

Most people if they really had nothing to say, would try to escape at least once maybe twice, in an effort to find a way to clear their name or at least disappear. This girl hadn't even tried to escape. Which made Spike feel that perhaps she really didn't have anything worthwhile to say at the trial. When they transferred her to the Feds, Spike wished her lots of luck in testifying and in Witness protection.

They had ended up getting a room for the night because it was around about seven in the evening when they finished signing papers and turning the girl over to the feds. Wordy was beat from driving most of the way. Spike hadn't been feeling well so they called Greg, explained what was going on, that there had been a slight change in the original plan and got a room. They wanted to have a full nights sleep and a hot breakfast in their bellies before venturing home.

When they woke up and had debated what to eat for breakfast, it was about 8am. If they got on the road by 9am and didn't stop often, they would make the station by about 8 or 9 in the evening. Everyone else should have also been in by then and would be ready for debriefing. Spike couldn't wait. They opted for coffee and sandwiches from McDonalds instead of having a sit down breakfast. They got it to go and got into the car.

While Wordy drove towards home on their way back, Spike's thoughts wandered. They had been in constant contact with the rest of the team when needed. Everyone's transfers had gone off without a hitch. Everyone would be back home in about a day. Then they would have a debriefing before being let loose on their two weeks off. After about 6 hours on the road, Wordy looked over at Spike.

"Spike. You want to stop for a bite to eat and then take over driving for a while. I'm beat. Only another 12 hours until we are home. Plus I want to call Shelly. She said something about Allie not feeling well the last time we spoke and she was going to take her to the doctor. I need to know how she is doing and what the doctor said." Spike nodded and pointed to the sign for the Cracker Barrel. Wordy nodded and pulled into the parking lot.

Spike knew how he felt about calling his girls. Spike called Callie three times everyday that they had been gone. The last couple times he tried to call however, He hadn't gotten her though. Just her voicemail over and over. He was starting to dislike voicemail very much. He wasn't too worried, just annoyed. He would try again before they got on the road again.

He had lived for the phone calls that he got from Callie. She didn't call him often, but when she did, it was music to his ears. Like the first phone call he had gotten from her. She was just shouting herself hoarse with the news that She was going to be participating in a martial arts tournament in three weeks. She couldn't wait. Spike had been so proud of her. He had told her that he loved her and that he would be back soon. He was pulled from his thoughts when Wordy kicked him under the table.

"Hey Spike! Order your food already. The waitress has been standing here for a few minutes waiting on you Spike." Spike nodded, apologized to the girl and ordered his food. When the waitress had finished taking their order and had gone to post the order, Spike tried calling Callie again. Nothing. In frustration, he called his mother, maybe Callie had gone over there.

"Hello Michelangelo! How are you doing? Are you home yet? You are coming over for dinner tonight right?" Spike smiled and sipped his water. He knew he could count on his mother's voice to calm him somewhat. Even if she did ask every single night if they were coming over for dinner. He listened to her ramble for a few minutes before getting to what was on his mind.

"No Ma. I am not going to get home in time for dinner tonight. About another 10 hours till we make the station. Then we have a debriefing to do before being let go. How's Callie doing? Is she giving you any trouble? Has she been going to School? By the way, is she having trouble with her phone? I haven't been able to reach her." His mother didn't answer for a moment, distracted by something. Then she came back on.

"She's fine. Her phone was having some problems so your father took her to get the phone looked at and they should be back soon. Of course she has been going to School. She's been running to school every single day. I think that there is something exciting going on at school. I have been sworn to secrecy because she wants to tell you herself." Spike thanked her, told her to have Callie call him when she got home, and hung up, just in time for the food to arrive.

"Shelly and the girls say hi to you. They miss you. They see Callie, but hardly ever see you. She wants to have a barbeque when we get back and are all officially on vacation. She and I are going to talk about the details when we get back. How is Callie doing without you there hovering over her all the time?" Spike laughed and nodded.

"She is currently having some kind of trouble with her phone today so we actually haven't talked yet today. I miss her a lot. Although I am sure that she is so busy without me around that she probably forgot that I am even gone. From what I gather, she's been running to school everyday and has something very important to tell me when we get back." Spike took a bite of his food and swallowed before speaking again.

"I wish we could have flown back instead of driving. We'd have already been there. I don't know, I guess I just miss her Wordy. Kind of like I know you miss Shelly and the girls." They continued their conversation through out dinner and got back on the road at 3pm. Shortly after they got going again, Wordy fell asleep, leaving Spike alone with his thoughts again.

While he drove, He thought about how far Callie had come since he had first met her out on that ledge while he had been out jogging. Back when things were so awful that she had wanted to kill herself. How she had gone from a scared, frightened girl who couldn't trust anyone enough to tell someone what Mr. Sanchez had been doing to her, into a vibrant, beautiful young lady who told people exactly what she thought.

He was startled from his thoughts when his phone started ringing in his jacket pocket. He fished it out and flipped it open quickly to avoid waking up Wordy. Without even checking the caller id he answered it. He was positive that it was Callie calling him back. As he started talking, He could see Wordy starting to wake up. So much for not waking him.

"Hello Callie. How are you doing today? Did you get the problems resolved with your phone yet? Grandma said that you had to get your phone looked at. Did they fix it for you? Did anyone give you trouble up there?" Wordy was texting back and forth with Shelly laughing gently to himself. Spike smiled at how happy he looked and could only imagine what they were texting about. Wordy had a wonderful wife, and beautiful kids.

"Hi Daddy! I had to get a new phone today. The other phone was acting all weird and everything. Are you almost home. I really miss you dad. I also have a couple things to discuss with you. One of which is what the technician found on my phone when he took it apart to see if he could fix the problem. How much longer until you get home? I miss you." Spike laughed while he drove.

"I think we have about another five or six hours until we hit the station. After that probably about three hours for the debriefing. I will probably be home around 10pm tonight. I have missed you immensely as well. How is school going for you? Did you get that project for your Psychology class done that you were working on? When is it due again?"

"It was due today Dad. And yes, of course I got it done early and I handed it in a couple days early. I have to present it Friday. They are inviting the public to view the presentations. I'd like it if you wanted to show up. I present on Friday evening as well as Friday afternoon. You don't have to come to both presentations, only if you care to or feel like it. There's going to be a dinner in the evening for everyone who is presenting and their guests. So I need to know if you will come to that one or not." Spike thought about for a moment and then realized that Greg was calling him.

"I have to go Callie now. Greg is calling me and I have to take it. Talk to you later. Love you sweetie. Don't forget to take out the garbage and put the can on the curb sweetie. Put the bill for the phone on the table. Bye!" He hung up with her and picked up Greg's call.

"Yeah Boss. I'm driving and Wordy is texting back and forth with Shelly. Wordy and I are on our way back. Should hit the station in about 5 hours. Was there something major going on? Or were you just calling to check up on us." Greg didn't say anything for a moment.

"Ok. I wanted to know how soon that you two would be back. I heard from the federal marshals. They took the woman to the trial and whisked her away as soon as she was released from testifying. She said that she didn't want witness protection after all. They have her stashed somewhere and are giving her a few days to think it over to see if it's really what she wants. We will see you when you guys get here." Spike hung up and stepped on the gas.

Several hours later, Spike dragged himself out of Wordy's SUV. They had the debriefing, eaten a late supper and spent some time catching up. Wordy helped Spike take his stuff into the house. After unlocking the door and dropping the stuff, Spike went up to check on Callie, while Wordy made himself a cup of coffee. Wordy was pouring Spike a cup as well when Spike's shout made him drop the pot.

"WORDY! CALLIE'S GONE!"


	20. Chapter 20

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 20

Upon hearing Spike's scream, Wordy ran up the stairs two at a time and burst into Callie's room to find Spike standing there looking lost. He grabbed Spike by the arm and spun him around. Spike had gone white. Wordy shook him once and then a little bit harder to get his attention. Spike looked at him after a moment and pointed to the Couch, his hand trembling a little bit. Wordy looked at it, covering his mouth in shock.

The cushions had been slashed and ripped out. The stuffing spilled out onto the floor. There was some blood splattered on the ripped up cushions. Wordy could feel himself getting a little choked up. He tried to get his feelings and breathing under control. Spike needed him right now. Both as a coworker and as a friend. He picked up his phone and dialed Greg, who was the only person that he could think at the moment to call. He hoped that his phone was on.

"Yeah. Sgt. Parker here. What's up Wordy? Didn't you guys just leave the station? Did you guys forget your stuff or something? You guys are now on vacation. I can run the stuff over to your houses if you would like for me to do so." Wordy didn't waste time with pleasantries. This wasn't a social call. He hated to be the bearer of lousy news. Everyone had been talking about vacation plans.

"Boss. I'm at Spike's house. I just dropped Spike off. Callie's gone. She's not in the house. The couch that is in her bedroom has been torn to shreds and there is blood on it. Whether it's her blood or not I don't know by just looking at it. We need some help over here. Security system is already disabled. Spike? No SPIKE! DON'T PASS OUT ON ME!" Wordy dropped his phone and dove for Spike. He hit his head on the side of the bed as he went down. Wordy lowered him to the floor and knelt next to him. He picked up his phone again.

"Boss. Send the paramedics. Spike's passed out. I'm getting him out of this room. Hurry up please! We need to move on this. I suspect foul play." He hung up and hauled Spike up into a fireman's carry and carried him carefully down the stairs to the couch in the living room. After setting him down, He checked him over quickly for any other obvious trauma besides the head wound. He pressed a cloth to his head, trying to keep the blood from going everywhere.

Satisfied that he was ok for the moment, Wordy made a quick run through of the house calling Callie's name several times, before knowing without a doubt that she was gone. He wanted to be sure that Callie wasn't hiding in one of the other bedrooms or sleeping in Spike's bed. He checked the bathrooms and the basement as well, even though he knew that Callie would never go into a basement willingly. She was terrified of Basements.

After a few minutes of waiting and silently begging for people to hurry up and get there, he was about to pick up the phone and call Greg again when the front door burst open. Wordy looked up to see The rest of the team as well as paramedics and other assorted Police Officers flood into the house. He stood up and backed away as the paramedics swept in and started taking his vital signs.

"His Blood pressure is slightly down right now. Could be from the shock. Respirations are normal. Pupils are equal and reactive. Bruise on his right forehead. You did well by placing a towel on his head. You said that he struck his head as he fainted? The biggest concern is the threat of concussion. We have to wait until he comes around. I'll keep an eye on him Wordy so you can go with your team." One of the paramedics said, giving him a reassuring look. Wordy nodded and turned to give what he knew to the waiting officers.

"Ok. Sam, Jules, Wordy search outside for any and all clues. I mean anything! Even garbage that might be nothing. Ed and I will take some officers and conduct a door-to-door search. Someone must have seen or heard something. Everyone work in teams of two and take a recent picture of Callie. Let's go people. Time is critical. Call in if you get anything meet back here in 3 hours." Everyone dispersed and went to their task. The crime scene people had come and were shown to Callie's room by Jules.

"Boss? I alerted Teams three and seven to be on the lookout for Callie. They all know what she looks like. She shouldn't be too hard to spot. Troy said that they would be patrolling further out in case someone took her by vehicle. We are going to find her. I'm positive. I'm not stopping until we do find her. And when we do, whoever took her will be sorry. No one messes with my family." Greg nodded and they headed out to divide the area into a grid for people to search.

"Good Idea Eddie. I hadn't thought of that yet. I really hope that we are not too late. If it weren't for the blood on the couch, I would almost think that she went to a friend's house and didn't leave a note. But she's responsible. No. I am positive that she was taken. Have we tracked down her phone? Maybe we can track her that way?" Ed relayed information to the temporary technician until Spike could take over.

"I looked at the room. Nothing is out of order besides the couch. The bed is made, her cds and books and stuff are where they should be. Her clothes are there in the closet. Her sneakers are missing, her coat's here. Her purse is missing. Wait! Spike told me that he gave her a credit card with $500 on it. We can run the number and look for activity!" Ed smiled gleefully. Greg smiled and clapped Ed on the back.

"Good thinking Eddie. Let's get to it people. Callie is missing and we don't have much to go on for the time being, nor do we know how long she has been missing. I want her found. Find me something." The officers headed out the door on their way to their assigned tasks. When they had left, Wordy closed his eyes briefly and said a prayer.

_Lord. Please, I'm not asking for myself. I only ask for Spike. Please bring Callie back safe and sound. Please let whoever took her, let her go and her get home safely. Please let us see her smiling face once more. I beg and plead with you Father to keep her safe. I only ask this in your name. Amen. _When he was done, Wordy headed back outside to continue searching the yard for anything that they might use.

Three hours later, they had reconvened in Spike's house. Spike was still out cold. The paramedics wanted to take him to the hospital, but were willing to wait for a bit. They could monitor him on his couch. They had found very little information. The man and woman who had moved in the house across from Spike and Callie had reported seeing a black car in the driveway shortly after 5 in the evening. They had been on their way out. When they had returned an hour later, the car was gone.

Ed had clenched his jaw when he heard this and wrote the information down. He knew two people off the bat who owned and drove a black car. Marcus and Eileen. He prayed to God that he was wrong, but his hunches were hardly ever wrong. He relayed the information to the rest of the officers and Greg sent Jules and another officer to question Marcus and Eileen face to face. Ed had wanted to go but Greg knew that he would probably just arrest them and ask questions later.

When Spike woke up, the first thing that he became aware of was that he was lying on his couch and not standing in Callie's room anymore. That confused him for a moment before he realized that he must have fainted and Wordy carried him downstairs. The second thing that he became aware of was that there was a paramedic kneeling next to him. He opened his eyes and groaned. Immediately, Greg, Ed, and Wordy were there, helping him to a sitting position. He shook his head slowly and looked up.

"Tell me it's a joke. Someone please for the love of God tell me that it's a joke. Please tell me that my daughter is not missing. Please Greg. PLEASE. Have you checked with her friends? Maybe she jsut went over there for a while and forgot to leave a note? Maybe?" Spike threw his head back and starting crying in earnest. Greg held him and the rest of the team gathered around offering comfort. After a few minutes of sobbing, Spike sat forward.

"Spike. We know that Callie is missing. Wordy called us and filled us all in after he carried you down here. You passed out from the shock of finding the couch in her room torn to shreds with blood on it. The paramedics are here and want to check you over and make sure that you don't have a concussion. Just take it easy. We will find them." Greg said easing back and letting the paramedic back over. Spike waved him off and struggled to stand up.

"I am ok. I just want to find my daughter. I have to find her. I just talked to her this afternoon. She sounded fine. She did not sound under the least bit of stress. She was excited about participating in a tournament in three weeks. Do we have anything to go on yet? Anything at all. What have we discovered so far?" Sam leaned in holding a piece of paper and passed it to Greg. Greg took it and looked at it a moment. Spike made a grab or it.

"Boss. I found this by the edge of the driveway under a small rock. Probably to keep it from blowing away. It could be garbage, but I don't think that it is. I think that it's a viable clue. Maybe the only one we have at the moment." Spike couldn't stand to be left out of whatever they were discussing and grabbed it out of Greg's hand and looked it over quickly growing angrier by the moment by what was written on the paper. He struggled to breathe.

It was a simple piece of paper that said Calita on it. Spike fisted his hand. Then he stood up and threw the paper to the ground. He was still in his civvies and had his gun on the end table, where Wordy had placed it after settling him on the couch. He put his gear on and then put his boots on. When he finally stood up, he looked at Greg, who merely nodded without a word. Spike stopped suddenly as he remembered something that Callie had said to him.

"This is in her handwriting. You know, I forgot to tell you, She had to get a new phone today." Greg looked confused. He looked at the others nervously, thinking that Spike had hit his head harder than previously thought. He was about to suggest that Spike go to the hospital to get checked out, when Spike started to pace about the room. Greg decided to dig further, hoping that Spike would be able to give them more information.

"Spike? What do you mean she had to get a new phone? What does the fact that she had to get a new phone have to do with anything? Spike?" Spike looked him and realized that he hadn't told anyone else about what Callie had said to him either. He ran his hand through his hair roughly and blew out a breath, sitting back down on the couch.

"Callie said her phone had started acting funny. My dad took her to get a new phone. When we talked on the phone earlier before I spoke to you, she said that the technician that worked on her phone had found something strange on her previous phone when he took it apart to fix it. She wanted me to take a look at it and see what I could possibly find." Greg held up a hand to slow him down.

"Spike. The people across the street stated that they saw a black car in the driveway around 5pm. Do you know anyone that drives a black car? Marcus and Eileen were not at their home. We have to assume that they had someone help them take Callie and are on their out of the city. We have alerted the airports, and blocking roads out of the city. We need any and all information that you have here on them." Spike nodded and took the steps to his study two at a time. While he was gone, Greg looked at Sam.

"There's something more Boss. I found more blood where I found the note on the ground. There is a real significant amount. I already let the Crime Scene guys know about it. They are out there processing the area." Greg was about to ask why he didn't say anything around Spike when there was a commotion at the door that drew his attention away from Sam. The team quickly moved to the door just in time to hear a shout.

"Let us through Damn you! We are Callie's grandparents. Where is Michelangelo! I want to speak to him RIGHT NOW! Mr. Parker! Where is my son?" Greg pushed through the officers and took Spikes parents by the arms and led them into the living room. After they sat down, He looked at them. Jules had poured them a glass of water each.

"Spike is upstairs getting some information for us. He'll be down in a moment. What do you have there, Mrs. Scarlatti?" In her hands was a package. It was relatively small. Maybe a videotape to watch. Greg took it from her after putting on gloves. He looked at the packaging. It was smooth and neat. Very clean. He'd have the package and contents dusted for prints. After they viewed the tape.

"There was a knock at our door. I opened the door and saw this lying on the porch. I didn't see anyone around the porch or cars on the road. I did see someone walking down the sidewalk. I didn't recognize him, and didn't get a very clear look at him. I saw that he as white, middle aged, tall, walked with a slight limp. He was wearing blue Jeans and a windbreaker. I turned the package over and it said, 'Concerning Callie. Dominic said that we had better come over here to give it to Spike." Greg nodded.

"You got a great description Maria, Thank you. As you may have heard, Callie is missing. We are trying to find her. This might give us some clues or information. We are going to have someone look at this for prints. Jules, get someone to hookup a computer to watch this on in the command truck. No one needs to see this but us. No telling what will be on it." Jules hurried to do as told. Just as Greg stood up, Spike came downstairs

"Mama! Father. Why are you here? Are you both ok? We are in the middle of a case right now. Callie's gone missing and we are trying to find her. Greg, here's the information that you asked for about Marcus and Eileen. And to think that I had actually started to trust them. I even said that they could visit Callie, if Callie was ok with it. Never again. What's that?" Greg held up the video that he had extracted from the box.

"It's a video that was delivered to your parent's house. It had 'Concerning Callie' on the package. I am about to go view it. You don't have to see it if you don't want to Spike. But I will be with you I you want to. The whole team will be. We are restricting the viewing to just team One. No one else needs to see it." Spike nodded and followed Greg out to the command truck. Greg looked at Spike.

"Are you ready for this Spike? I can give you the abbreviated version afterwards if you like.' Greg gave Spike one last chance to walk away before viewing the tape. He had a feeling that they weren't going to like what would be on this tape. Spike shook his head and gestured to the player. Greg nodded and put the tape in and pushed play.


	21. Chapter 21

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 21

While everyone was at Spike's house, trying to coordinate efforts to search for Callie, In an abandoned warehouse across town, Callie tried working the ropes that were binding her wrists loose, while trying not to pass out from the crack on the head that she had received. They were tied pretty tightly. Finally giving up out of exhaustion, she dropped her head to her chest and tried to stay awake. She dared not to fall asleep. As she sat there, she went over just how she had ended up here. Bound and Gagged with an awful headache.

If her hands would have been free, she would have rubbed her head, where she could feel stickiness. Her head was hurting so bad at this moment. She knew that Mr. Sanchez had split her scalp open a little when he hit her earlier. She hoped that he burned in hell for he had done. Not just the kidnapping him, but also the past abuse and lies. The first thing she decided that she would do when she found out that he had in fact died would be dance on his grave.

'Good God. My head hurts. Real Swift Callie. Just how many times had you heard the story of the wolf in sheep's clothing? What's the lesson that you should have learned from it? And you still believed that asshole when he knocked on the door and claimed that he wanted to apologize for what he put you through. You opened yourself up to him and became vulnerable. And like a rabid Dog, he smelled that vulnerability and struck. Dumbass.'

Callie rolled her neck trying to loosen the muscles from the pain she was feeling and the position that her head had been in. She didn't know how long that she had been unconscious, but her head was certainly paying the price for the little nap she found herself having taken. She knew that Sanchez had given her a shot of something that had knocked her out.

Callie was still smarting about her stupidity. After she allowed Mr. Sanchez into the house to apologize, she turned her back on him. Another mistake. It had only taken him five seconds to jump up behind her, stick the needle in her arm and let her fall. She tried to fight it at first. The drug or whatever it had been was too strong but hadn't knocked her out immediately. She was able to run to her room and shut the door. She then crawled to the couch. Sanchez had been right behind her.

He taunted her all the way up the stairs, letting her get to her room, and shut the door. He wanted her to think that she was going to be safe. She knew that he was going to take her. She would make damn sure that she left some clue, something that would lead the team to know who took her. That's when she managed to write the word Calita on a scrap of paper and hold in her fist. Sanchez had not planned on her being able to actually lock the door.

He had kicked the door in and rushed over to her. She tried to fight him off, thinking that she could take care of herself and defend herself, but he back handed her, splitting her lip with one slap. She fell against the couch that was how the blood got smeared. He hit her several more times until she was slightly dazed. Finally, unable to stay conscious any longer, she passed out, faintly aware of him lifting her and carrying her out of the house.

It started out innocently enough. She had called her father and explained about the phone. They had an enjoyable conversation. In her excitement over being chosen to participate in that Karate tournament, she had forgotten to tell her father that she had seen Mr. Sanchez in the phone store. She had kept her grandfather very close as he knew about the restraining order and would keep her safe. Of that she had not one shred of doubt.

"HEY! Hello? I'm kinda of tired just sitting here with nothing much to do. So how about you kindly let me go and I will find my OWN way back home. Hello? I got places to be, People to see. Mr. Sanchez? Where are you? I want to go home now." Callie struck her feet a couple times on the pavement to accentuate her annoyance at being tied up. She knew that sometimes, he would hide just out of sight and wait to catch her unaware.

He hadn't said anything to her, though he did see her in the store. He smiled tightly at her and then immediately left the store, explaining to the sales rep that he would be back shortly. She assumed that it was because of the restraining order. She noticed him in two other stores, but had said nothing to her grandfather. She wanted to keep track of how many other places she had seen him. She kept this record on a notepad in her purse. She told herself that when she got home, she would call her father and tell him about it and let him tell her what she should do about it.

Finally Callie couldn't take the silence anymore. She knew that he was videotaping her while he was gone. She also knew that he had come and gone a few times while videotaping her. She could tell that he was going to hurt her really bad tonight by the way he spoke to her when he bothered speaking to her at all. This was her chance to get something on the tape to hopefully show the team how to get to where they were. She knew that the team would be looking for clues. She planned on giving them all the help that she could.

She thought for a few minutes, trying to come up with the perfect way to say something without giving it away what she was doing. She knew a little bit about where they were, and what turns they had taken to get there. She knew that she would pay dearly if Sanchez figured out with she was doing. After a few minutes, her eyes lit up. She had the perfect solution. She knew the camera was still recording because of the flashing red light.

"Hello? Mr. Sanchez? I'm kinda thirsty can I have a glass of water or something pretty please? would really like to spend some more time with you please." Silence. That was when she knew that he had left. Probably to get some food or something. She knew that he might take a short nap somewhere along the way. She smiled at the camera and winked. She licked her lips before speaking. Her feet were not tied up, so she put them to good use.

"Let's see now. if I want to practice a little bit for the Karate tournament, LEFT kick first, then the RIGHT leg comes up to protect. Then how does it go again? Oh yeah! You then lead off with the RIGHT leg and then you strike with the LEFT fist. Wait for a count of TEN, and then RIGHT leg again to Sweep, and then count 1,2, and 3. SWEET! I think I got it!" Callie was pleased with herself. She heard the door open and bang shut. She quickly started straining at the ropes to give the appearance that she had been struggling for a bit.

"There's my sweet little daughter! You know, your mother and I adopted you because we wanted you to have every chance available to succeed in life Callesandra. You shouldn't have turned on us the way you did. I know that it was that guy on the bridge who made you turn on us. I think that you should have run away from him, you would have been safe with us at home. BUT, no matter. You are here now and you will pay for your mistakes." He took a deep breath and then continued.

"I think that a proper spanking is in order. One that you will definitely remember. So, after I deliver this tape to that man, actually to his parents front porch. I will be back and I will tape you being punished, and it will be one that you won't soon forget. That way, should you decided to misbehave like this again, You can watch the tape and KNOW what's coming to you. Do you understand me?" Callie nodded meekly, trying to give the impression that she was scared.

Suddenly Mr. Sanchez backhanded her across the face, tipping the chair over. Callie felt her wrist break again as the chair landed on her wrist, but refused to make a peep. Her only key goal at this moment was survival. She would address the pain and injuries when she was safe again. She felt a peice of glass cut into her her arm and knew instinctively that it was a long cut. She prayed that it stayed there when he picked up her chair, long enough to use it to escape.

Mr. Sanchez picked up the chair and righted it, fondling her a little bit as he did so. He continued to fondle her for several minutes. Callie closed her eyes and forced herself to not say a word. She knew that anything she said at the moment would probably set him off and she didn't want him to rape her right then and there. She felt the glass fall into her arm and clutched it tightly, knowing that it was cutting her hand. She couldn't stop herself from giving a nasty look when he stuck his hand down her jeans. He backhanded her across the cheek again.

"ALL I EVER GET FROM YOU ANYMORE YOUNG LADY IS ATTITUDE. Well, It's going to stop tonight, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I should teach you a lesson right here and now." Callie looked at him frightened. She nodded her head and apologized to Mr. Sanchez immediately, hoping to smooth his ruffled feathers. If her arms were free, she would have given him a hug and ran her hands up and down his arms, soothing him.

"I'm so sorry Daddy. You're right. I was giving you attitude. I didn't mean to give you attitude. I was angry at a friend and took it out on you. It won't happen again Daddy. Please give me a pass on punishment just this one time, please." Apologizing seemed to work a little bit for the time being. He gave her a soda to drink, which she took and drank greedily. He also unwrapped a sandwich and let her take a few bites. After she had eaten half the sandwich, she smiled at him and thanked him.

Mr. Sanchez walked away after putting the tape into a box, saying that he would be right back. As soon as he disappeared and the door banged shut, Callie tried to get loose again. She knew exactly what Sanchez meant by a spanking. And she knew that he intended to rape her if not kill her as well. She had no intention of sticking around for that. She knew that if she tried hard enough that she could get loose. She had very little time.

She started to saw at the ropes immediately and quickly with the piece of glass, hoping to get them frayed enough that she could possibly snap them or wiggle out of them. She worked quickly, Feeling the ropes loosen just a fraction. She was encouraged by this discovery. She felt the glass cut into her hands a couple more times. But she was ok for the time being. Finally she was free. She shrugged off the ropes and took a quick look around before picking up a stray knife that Sanchez had left there and running through the building.

At the same time that Callie was getting free from the ropes and looking for an escape, Spike, Greg and the rest of the team were watching the tape that Sanchez had delivered. They had watched it once and were watching it a second time, trying to get any clues that would lead them to Callie's whereabouts. Spike was so grateful that it didn't show Callie being raped or manhandled, other than being fondled a couple times. He was pulled from his thoughts when Wordy stopped the tape.

"What did you do that for Wordy? We might be able to get something more from the tape that will tell us where my daughter is! I want her home. I have to keep watching the tape. Have we heard anything else Greg? Anyone call in and say that they've seen Callie or better yet, that they have her?" Greg shook his head and Ed left to get a status report. Sam interrupted him, stopping his hand from reaching the play button.

"Guys, I think I know how to find her! I was watching the segment where she talking about her karate Tournament. Something is very off about the way she's talking. Watch it again Spike. Tell me if anyone backs me up on this." He rewound the tape and played it again. Soon Callie's voice filled the van again. After another time through of listening to that segment Greg slapped his hand on the desk and looked at Spike who was beginning to see what Sam meant.

"I see what Sam is talking about! She is trying to lead us to where she's at or a close approximation of where she's at. Time is critical people. We need to figure this out and move NOW. Anyone got an idea of what she's talking about?" Sam said. Ed had come back and relayed that no one had seen Callie, but that at the same time that she had been in the phone store, Mr. Sanchez was spotted in the same store. He appeared to have left immediately after seeing her.

"She keeps stressing the words Left and Right. I think that she's saying turn left out of the driveway and then turn right. Then you turn right again and then Left again. You then go ten miles and turn Right again. If it's correct, she's in the third house. But isn't that area all warehouses and abandoned buildings? Jules, check it out on the computer." Greg said turning to the screen again. Jules brought up a map with a squiggly line showing the supposed directions that Callie gave them.

"It leads directly to a warehouse and the warehouse used to be owned by Michael Sanchez. Also known as Mr. Sanchez. How dumb does a person have to be to use a building that they used to own at one time and that is easily tracked back to them? Unless he really doesn't care? Because it's usually not this easy to track someone. Unless he wants to be tracked." Ed brought his gun up and checked the ammunition. The others did the same thing.

"I don't know and frankly I don't care anymore Jules. He's messed with my family for the last time. This time he's either going to prison or he is not walking away from this mess. He's had so many opportunities to get to Callie and we've basically let him. Enough is more than enough. I have had it with my daughter living in fear that he's going to someday come back for her and hurt her all over again. If I had known about her earlier, I would have taken her away from that mess." Spike said while checking that his gun was still fully loaded.

They agreed and diverted some of the troops to the area to survey and maintain visuals, while staying out of sight. They had team three standing by, ready to move in if needed before they got there. Once that was done, they left the house and drove using Callie's clues as a map. On the way, Greg told Spike that he wanted him to remain in the truck while they went in. Spike was not happy about it, but he understood that he would really only get in the way.

Callie was hurrying through the building. She knew that enough time had passed since Sanchez had left and that he would be back at anytime. She had to either get outside and run or hide in the building. She could feel the blood running down her arm for the cut and clamped her hand over it for several minutes before it stopped a little. She came to a Staircase and started to climb it. Hoping that it would take her out of this creepy place.

Finally she came to a little hatch. She pushed it open, finding it slightly difficult to do so. When she opened the door and stepped out into the fresh air, she found that she was on the roof of the warehouse, a drainpipe her only means down to the ground. She managed to shinny her way down the drainpipe and jumped the last few feet to the ground. After picking herself up off the ground, Someone grabbed her from behind and whispered in her ear harshly.

"Don't move, and don't scream."


	22. Chapter 22

Anytime you need a Friend:

Chapter 22

Callie stood ramrod stiff, the persons' arms still around her, holding her close. She was that scared. The whisperer had a very harsh voice and she knew that if she moved, she could very well die. She put her hands out to her sides slowly as best as she could, to show that she was not a threat. She didn't want to look at whoever had grabbed her. The less she knew or saw the better for her. She didn't want to die today.

"State your name and why you are trespassing around here young lady. This area is off limits. We spotted you while we were out on patrol." Callie kept her eyes trained on the ground. She flinched visibly as though a whip were laid against her skin when her captor placed his hand under her chin and started to bring her up to look into her eyes. She shook as she spoke, trying to show that she was brave and not the least bit scared.

"My name is Callessandra. I was kidnapped from my home by my former adoptive father. He brought me here to rape and kill me and I escaped after being tied up. I was not trespassing; I was merely trying to find my way home. I want my father please." She could see several pairs of feet surrounding her now and she was getting more scared by the moment.

"And who is your father?" Callie started trembling some more and it was edging into a full blown panic attack. She was aware of someone pulling a chair over and her captor urging her to sit in the seat. She did so not wanting to anger them anymore. She wondered when they were going to take her back to Mr. Sanchez. She didn't want to be raped again. She was drawn from her thoughts when the guy shook her shoulder slightly.

"I'm sorry Sir. My father's name is Michelangelo Scarlatti. He's with Team One of the Strategic Response Unit." At this, she heard several intakes of breath. She started twisting her hands in her lap, wincing audibly when she tried to flex her wrist. She knew it was broken again. It was swollen pretty good and bruised badly. She kept biting her lips in an effort to keep quiet and not start bawling. Finally the person squatted down in front of her.

"I am not going to hurt you honey. Now please look at me." Callie did so. The guy had a nice smile. He was slim but muscular and had on plain clothes. He smiled at her and she tried not to cry. She was still absolutely terrified that he was going to hurt her. He fished his phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number and waited a moment, letting it ring. After receiving no answer, he hung up.

"So you're Spike's kid? I didn't even know he had a daughter until about three hours ago. My name is Roger. I'm a detective. I know your father from the police academy. We are trying to reach him now. Are you ok? Because you are shaking like a panic attack, and you are bleeding quite badly. And your wrist doesn't look good." He reached for her arm and she started to cry. Surprised and confused, Roger drew back.

"Please don't touch me. I don't want to be raped again and I don't want to be hurt. Please. I just want my father. I will do anything you want, Just please let me see my father please." Roger sat back on his heels. He didn't know how to deal with this. He wasn't a father yet. He brought her chin up to make her look him in the eyes.

"Callessandra, I am not going to hurt you. I want to have the medics take a look at you because you are hurt and I want to contact your father. Please meet me halfway here. Is it alright if I call a medic over?" Callie rattled off a number and bit her lip, withdrawing into herself. She shook her head vehemently at the offer of a medic. Roger nodded and walked off a short distance keeping an eye on her. But she never moved.

"Hello, Sergeant Greg Parker speaking. To whom am I speaking?" The voice sounded old and tired, worn out. Roger turned up the volume on his phone, glad that he was going to have some good news for someone, instead of always having to give bad news to people. It was such a refreshing change from having to always have bad news.

"Sgt. Parker? My name is Roger Barrett. I am a detective with the Toronto Metro Police. I am trying to get in touch with Spike Scarlatti, is he available please. It is urgent." He heard Greg shushing everyone on his end of the line before speaking to Roger again. Roger could tell that Greg had put him on the speaker phone. Which was good.

"Yes, What can I do for you today Mr. Barrett? Spike is a little indisposed at the moment, tell me what you need and I will relay it to Spike. We are kind of in the middle of a crisis situation right now and time is short and critical." Roger nodded even though Greg couldn't see him. Greg sounded so hopeful on the phone. Roger was glad that he could give them all good news.

"Well Sir, My partner and I were out and about on patrol and we saw suspicious activity in the warehouse district. We pulled over to investigate and saw a young lady who appeared to be trespassing. She explained that she wasn't. She identified herself. Tell Spike that I found his daughter." Greg relayed this news and Roger heard whoops of triumph.

Roger said that he would wait there for Spike and the rest of the team, as Callie would not let medics near her, nor anyone else, so she was not able to be transported to a hospital at the moment. He also gave Greg a rundown of the injuries that he could see. Greg told Roger to tell Callie that they were on their way and that they would be there shortly. Roger hung up and walked back over to Callie who was rocking back and forth.

"Callie? I spoke to Greg. He said that they would all be here shortly. Can I get you anything to drink? We have juice in the truck. Or water. I think we also have cocoa." Callie nodded at the suggestion of water. Roger got her a bottle and opened it in front of her, since she couldn't. Callie thirstily drank the entire bottle in a matter of minutes. When she was done, she handed the bottle back to Roger and resumed rocking herself back and forth.

Roger stayed with her, other personnel showing up and combing the area for any clues to Sanchez's whereabouts. Callie wouldn't talk to anyone. She kept to herself and would flinch every time that someone came up to her to talk to her. Roger was starting to get a little annoyed with some of the other detectives who were coming up to her to ask her questions. Especially one in particular. He was being very condescending.

"Now Callie, Can you tell us what the big, bad man looked like?" Callie didn't answer. Roger had grabbed a crate and was sitting next to her, trying to draw her out of her shell. He was succeeding a little at a time, she was smiling at least. The detective towered over Callie who was leaning towards Roger, trusting him to protect her until Spike or someone from team one showed up. The detective had a way about him that when he looked at her, it was almost like he was leering at her.

"Was there even an abduction to begin with? Or did you and Daddy have a fight and you left and stayed out to make him worry? I'll tell you what I think. I think that there was no guy. And this tale that you are spinning about being a rape victim I think is really not true. You don't act like one. I don't think that you were really missing. You need to start answering my questions before I take you downtown to make you answer them. Or would you prefer that?"

"I think you need to back the fuck off of her right now. She is a minor and I will not stand for you harassing her in this way. Now, back off. Before I get angry." Roger stood up and pushed the detective back slightly. Callie breathed a little easier and burrowed into the blanket a little bit more. The detective got an attitude with him and pushed him back. They stood there glaring at each other for a moment. The detective pulled rank.

"Let's go young lady. I am tired of your refusal to answer my questions. I am taking you to the precinct and I am making you answer my questions. Then I am putting you in a cell for trespassing. Let's go. Now." Callie didn't acknowledge him. Roger moved closer to prevent the detective from taking her. The detective huffed and reached for her.

He grabbed Callie by the upper arm and pulled her up from her chair. He started to cuff her, and Callie twisted around, trying to get free. The detective grabbed her bad wrist and slapped the cuff on it, pulling it roughly. Callie screamed in pain and started crying, trying to pull away, and further splintering her wrist. Roger winced as he could see the bones poking through the skin and blood coming out and jumped on the detective, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from her.

"Take it easy on her. She is a victim, and in serious need of medical attention. I am responsible for her as first on the scene and I am not about to release her to your custody. Her father is on his way here. He is with the Strategic Response Unit. He will handle this. Take the damn cuffs off NOW." The detective refused. He removed the cuffs and threw them at the man's head. He walked Callie over to his truck and let her sit inside.

Callie didn't know what to do. On one hand she wanted to run. On the other though, she wanted to wait for her father to show up. She was in so much pain from her wrist. She could tell just be looking at it that she was going to need surgery to repair her wrist. She kind of liked Roger. He was nice to her, and he got that creepy detective to leave her alone, so he couldn't be all that bad. She was pulled from her thoughts when Roger nudged her gently and pointed to an approaching figure. Callie shot out of the truck running.

"DADDY! DADDY!" She launched herself into Spike's arms and clung to him for dear life afraid to let go. Spike wasn't letting go either. She started crying in earnest, choking on her sobs. That was all it took for Spike to start tearing up as well. Roger walked away towards Greg and the rest of the team to give the two of them time alone before people descended on them. He reached his hand out to Greg who was walking towards him as well.

"Sgt. Parker. It's so nice to finally meet you. I have heard a lot of good things about you from other people in the field. I am glad that my partner and I were in the right place at the right time to see her trying to escape down the drainpipe, so we could lend a hand to her. My people have been combing the grounds looking for evidence." Greg nodded and smiled at him.

"Yes. Same here. Spike mentioned that he knew you through the academy. Thank you for finding Callie. Did you find Sanchez yet? Has anyone been inside yet to process the scene? My guys will probably take over now." Roger shook his head and sighed in frustration while running his hand through his hair. He glanced at Greg apologetically.

"No Sir. He hasn't returned that we have seen or noticed. I have set up a patrol to go by every half hour. We are hoping that he does in fact return here. We'd all like to nab him for what he's done. I think Callie is ok. I'm not a father so I don't see the things that Fathers see. The only injuries that I have noticed are the ones I relayed over the phone. However we had a little trouble with one of the detectives, he grabbed Callies' wrist and busted it further."

While they talked, the rest of the team was working with the other officers on the scene to create a block by block grid to search for Sanchez. They were adamant that he be brought down this time and prosecuted. Ed and Wordy had gone inside to see where Callie had been kept. They saw all of the horrible things that Sanchez had planned on using on Callie.

"Ed. This is some really sick stuff. For the first time, I think that I am in fact, capable of murder." Wordy said overseeing the packing up of the offensive items. He picked up a whip and shuddered, dropping it into the box that had been placed next to him. Ed nodded in response as he too, was feeling a little bit sick over seeing all of the stuff.

"Yeah it is. I know how you feel. We need to catch this guy and prosecute him. Let's get this stuff sealed and on its way for processing, so they can start building a case against this guy. Callie doesn't need to see this stuff, and neither does Spike. I'm actually going to go out and see how Callie is doing; this stuff is getting to be too much for me. Care to join me?" They walked out of the room.

They quickly filled the team, minus Spike, in on everything that they saw in there. Everyone's reactions were the same as theirs to various degrees. They agreed that for the time being, they wouldn't say anything to Spike about it unless Spike came to them and asked specific questions. He had his hands full trying to comfort and calm down Callie.

"Callie, we need to go and get your wrist looked at. I have a feeling that you are going to be having surgery tonight. I'm no doctor but even I know that looks bad. Come on." Callie shook her head. Spike let out a long sigh. She was being difficult. He understood why and he didn't want to force her to get checked out. He scooted closer and took her in his arms and hugged her close gently.

"Callie. No one else is going to hurt you. The detective is being reprimanded for what he did. You need that wrist evaluated and set properly. Please do not make me force you to get it looked at. You know that's not how I work. I never have and I never will. Please. I can give you some time, but not very long. Please get in the ambulance." Callie shook her head.

"Ok then, Will you get in one of the trucks then? I will drive you to the hospital. I will stay with you the entire time, even while you are having surgery. Even if it means that I pass out. Don't make me pick you up. I can't do it, not for another week. I'll make Ed do it. Ok I will drive you." Spike stood up and held out his hand for Callie to take. She reached out for Spike's hand before sinking down to her knees and passing out.


	23. Chapter 23

AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

I apologize for the slow updates. College is getting in the way. But I am finding time here and there to write. Mostly late at night on the weekends. You all have been awesome with giving me reviews. Thank you! I find though, that I am starting to feel a little bit of writers block for this story. So please forgive me if updates are sporadic. I'm trying! Enjoy!

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 23

Callie was in the hospital for two weeks. After she passed out, the medics rushed her to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to repair her wrist. All of the stress plus the detective yanking on her arm, led to an extremely broken and mangled wrist. They were in Surgery for about four hours. They had to call in a specialist to repair her wrist. The specialist was optimistic that she would regain full use of her hand.

She had lost about half of her blood through her wrist so they had to replace that as well during the surgery. Spike kept his vow to her that he would stay with her during the surgery. He was proud of himself. He managed to not pass out. He sat on a stool and faced away from where they were working. They tried to keep him from being in the room and but he was adamant that he would not break his word to his daughter.

When Callie was finally released from the hospital, she had to stay home for another 2 weeks to give her wrist even more time to recuperate. She was not allowed to pick up anything with that hand. She had suddenly become extremely attached to Spike. She would follow him everywhere, stopping short of going into the bathroom with him. Not that he minded all the time. It was nice to have her close all the time, but he didn't know what he was going to do when she had to go back to school, which would be this coming week.

The only other thing that really bothered Spike was the fact that Callie would not sleep alone. She either slept in his room on the floor or begged him to sleep in her room on the couch. More often than not, he would sleep on the couch. At first he would lay there until she fell asleep and then pad to his room. The nightmares were the worst. Where she would wake him up screaming. After a few nights of awful nightmares, he started sleeping in the room.

What concerned him more than the nightmares were the constant instances of bed wetting. She had pretty much gotten over the issue after a few months. One morning, he went in to wake her up and found her crying, sitting in a wet patch of her own urine. He didn't comment on it because he knew that would upset her even more than she already was. He simply set out an extra set of sheets for her and let her do her own thing.

He had consulted Greg about the bedwetting and was reassured that he was handling the situation properly. He started talking to Greg himself in an effort to be able to handle what Callie would throw at him. After a couple weeks, the bedwetting stopped and Callie was starting to sleep through the night. Spike could see her making progress a little bit at a time. She was still very clingy but at the same time, started branching out a little bit.

On the day that Callie had to go back to School, Spike made breakfast for her and himself, while she got dressed. She still had the cast on. They had gone to get a new one; because they had to go in and do a second surgery to finish repairing the damage was done. Callie had in a sense shut completely down. She still would not speak most of the time, preferring to nod. Spike would not give up on her speaking again.

"Callie. Breakfast. You need to eat and we need to get you to School. We have to meet with the principle this morning. Let's get a move on." He set the toast and eggs out and served himself and sat a moment waiting for Callie to appear before he would eat. She usually appeared within 5 minutes of his announcement. When she didn't, he peeked up the stairs curiously. He wanted to make sure that she was at least partly on her way down the steps.

She was sitting on the top step and putting her shoes on. Rather trying to. She found that she was very clumsy with the cast. Spike didn't help her. She was good at communicating her feelings even without speaking to anyone. She was still independent as hell. When she had been in the hospital, the doctor had sent in a shrink to talk to her. She refused to speak to him, being stubborn. Spike had finally brought in Greg. He knew that Callie had barely spoken to him either.

It was a little disconcerting at first, getting used to not hearing her voice all the time. Everyone tried every day to get her to talk to them but to no avail. Today started the fifth week of her not speaking. After a few days, Spike gave up trying to force her to speak. He knew that she was communicating with Sam through texting every day, so at least that was something for her. He would just have to wait it out and see where patience took her.

"Would you like some extra help with your shoes Callie?" Callie shook her head and thumped down the steps, holding her book bag. She set it on the floor and helped herself to the eggs and sausage. She smiled at Spike and held out her feet for him to tie her shoes. He did so. When he was finished, they ate their breakfast quickly and headed out to the truck, after Spike had armed the security system while Callie had gotten into the truck.

As Spike drove, he glanced over at Callie. She was staring out the window, texting off and on with someone. Probably one of her numerous friends. Spike was grateful that she was at least communicating through texting. He would have been more concerned if she would have suddenly stopped communicating and had no interest in texting, typing, or making any types of noises.

"Callie, after we are done at the school, do you want to grab lunch or something? We could invite grandma and grandpa if you want." Callie shrugged and went back to staring out the window. The sun was shining and it was pretty decent weather outside. Just chilly enough to warrant a jacket or a hoodie. Spike rubbed her hair gently before focusing his attention on the road again.

When they got to the school, they walked to the office. Along the way they stopped several times for Callie to give hugs to her friends. She still would not speak however. Spike could only hope that as time went on that she would start speaking again. He let the secretary know that they were there for their meeting and sat down to wait. Callie settled in to wait as well. She didn't like the fact that she had to go to school and not be near Spike.

"Mr. Scarlatti. Please come in. Callie please wait out here for right now. I will call you when I am ready for you." Spike looked at Callie, who had started to follow him to the office. She rolled her eyes and took her phone out and made herself comfortable, smiling at the secretary. Spike followed the principle into the office and shut the door after him. Callie knew that she could text the members of Team One and Decided to text Sam to pass the time.

'Hi Sam. I hope that I'm not bothering you. I am kind of bored and just want to talk. How was your weekend?' After Spike and Ed, Callie found herself feeling closest to Sam, and she liked it. Sam was like having an older brother. Something that Callie had always wanted. After a few minutes Sam texted back and Callie settled back in the chair for a good conversation.

'Nah. I'm getting ready to go to the store for some things. I forgot to do my grocery shopping. You aren't bothering me. Aren't you supposed to be going back to School today? Wouldn't that mean that you are in fact in School at the moment? Please tell me that I am not contributing to the delinquency of a kid. Least of all, my little sis, anything but that.' Callie rolled her eyes.

'Dad's mtg w/ the principal today. Rolls eyes. I don't really like her, but what else can I do. At least she's not calling me into her office for every little stupid thing. No you aren't. I'm bored waiting for my turn to listen to the principle. btw- I am not a kid. I am a grown independent young woman.' She took a couple drinks from her bottle of water.

'Yes you are. You are under the age of 21, so that makes you a child. Deal with it my dear. =P. I bet that's fun waiting for the principle to get around to talking to you. Make sure you are nice. Lol. How goes the process of talking to people again. Cause you know. I miss talking to you Tweet. I miss hearing your voice.' At this Callie giggled.

'I don't know. I want to make sure that it's safe to talk. I'm still trying to really process everything. Dad's been cool letting me be quiet instead of trying to force me to talk. He has not been forcing me to talk to Greg, and for that I am extremely happy. I really want to start working out again. I miss it.' She brushed a couple tears away.

'Callie. Please don't cry. You will start talking when you are ready. I would like to point out that it is safe to talk. But I understand why you won't right now and what you need to do. You DO need to process and you need to discover for yourself that it really IS ok to talk. That no one is going to punish you for talking again. Sanchez was an asshole.' Callie rolled her eyes and looked up when Spike called her name and motioned her to the Principal's office.

'I have to go Sam. They are calling me. Miss you and everyone else as well. Love you Big Brother! I might drop by the station later.' She put her phone away and stood up and went to her father, who was beckoning her into the office. She sat down and looked at the principle, who was sitting behind her desk looking at her with consternation. Callie took a seat quickly, waiting for the principle to speak.

"Callie, as I was telling your father, we will try to make your transition back into school as smooth as possible. You were gone for two weeks, so you will have three weeks to make up any and all missed work. Your teachers are all on board with this. You have missed a test in algebra, a test in Psychology and a test in Anthropology. When you feel you are ready to take each test, come to my office and I will set you up for each test." The principle waited a moment and then continued to speak.

"Another thing we have done is set up a weekly appointment for you with the school shrink. You will meet with him during your first period study hall for an hour and a half. You need help processing the extreme traumatic event you went through and from what I have been told, you aren't moving past it. So your first session is today after we are done talking. That will be all you are required to do today. After that you may be excused for the rest of the day. But starting tomorrow you will be expected to be here the entire day." Callie rolled her eyes and looked at Spike.

"Mrs. David; I raise an objection to you trying to force my daughter to speak with the school Shrink. I have her talking to a co worker, actually my boss of mine who is a qualified therapist. He knows her and has spoken to her many times. I feel that introducing someone new into the equation would not be the smartest move at this time. Callie is dealing with things as best as she can and I am not going to force her to talk if she isn't ready." Callie got up and walked out after giving her father a paper.

"She says that she will be back. She's going to the lady's room and also getting her books and stuff from her locker so she can get started on the homework when we go home, which will be in a few minutes. I am going to have to say no to her meeting with this shrink that you so thoughtfully set her up with. You need parental permission as well as consent from Callie. You don't have it on either account." Mrs. David nodded.

"Very well. I have here all of her assignments. She has three weeks to make it up. I will see her in classes tomorrow. The items highlighted in yellow are things that will be assigned this week. Her teachers didn't know when she would be back." Spike nodded and left the office, making his way to Callie's locker, which was just down the hall from the office. As he approached, he saw Clark standing there, hugging Callie. He decided to give them a couple moments before approaching. He smiled as he walked up.

"Clark. You need to be getting back to class don't you? I don't want you getting in trouble because you were hanging around in the hall. Callie, we need to get going now. I have work in a couple hours. Plenty of time to go out for Lunch. Clark, are you planning on stopping by the station after school today?" They talked briefly for a few moments before Clark kissed Callie on the cheek and ran to class. Callie smiled and took Spike's hand. Together they walked out of the school and out to the truck.


	24. Chapter 24

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 24

The days were flying by. Callie was back in the full swing of classes and had started speaking a little bit. She would say hi to people, but beyond that, nothing. She was at least running to classes in the morning. So Spike assumed she was happy with classes. She was now 16 years old. She had started looking around for a job to save money for college. Commander Holleran offered her a job cleaning up around the station house. His reasoning was that she spent so much time there anyway, why not pay her for it. Callie was fine with that. Saved her the trouble of trying to find a job on her own.

So Callie would get done with school, and immediately hurry to the station. Sometimes Clark would go with her, and other times she went by herself. She would only work 4 hours, but during those 4 hours, she was responsible for helping to restock the ammo and the guns, and cleaning things. She would wash the trucks if needed and she had started leaving to pick up dinner on occasion. Spike worried about her around the guns but after a couple days he stopped.

Sam and Jules were always there with her, watching like hawks. After a couple weeks, they eased off a little bit. Callie was fully capable of restocking the guns, putting them back correctly and on the plus side she was starting to learn how to take them apart, how to properly clean them and reassemble them. She wasn't allowed to take delivery of the new ammo or anything like that, but she was able to check the stuff out and Spike agreed that at some point soon, she would be able to learn how to properly fire them. Spike was still adamant that she would not learn how to disable bombs.

Spike took time in the spring to teach a couple classes for the academy. He taught an introductory bomb diffusing class as well as an introduction to the Strategic Response Unit class. He saw many promising young people in his classes. Some of whom would be joining the SRU soon. There were a couple of guys who seemed really passionate about being bomb diffusers. Spike was immensely pleased. He was being asked to teach more classes, which he wasn't completely ok with because that would mean time away from SRU. He had yet to give a decision.

Callie didn't come and sit in on the classes very often, preferring to stay home instead more often. She was becoming quite the accomplished chef. Spike wasn't very worried at the moment. He had started noticing that she was gravitating away from him and the team more often, becoming a bit of a loner. He was ok with it for the time being. She was starting to spread her wings and attempt to fly some. That was a good thing for her to do.

She had started just making dinner every night instead of trading off with Spike. He was a little curious about this new development, but he decided to not question it. He through that she had been through a lot in the previous three months. They finally replaced her couch. She was really upset about the couch being destroyed and having to be replaced. But they found a bigger and better one. And it really went with the colors in her room.

Through everything that had been going in her life, she had not turned to drugs or drinking. Nor had she expressed any desire to return to thinking that suicide was an answer. She hadn't gained any new and unusual friends. She was doing the normal teenager things. She and Clark were officially dating, since she was now 16. Clark was also 16. Neither of them started driving yet, and Spike was grateful for that. He had looked in the mirror recently and discovered a couple grey hairs anyway. He blamed Callie for them.

Callie would be getting her cast off tomorrow, at least for awhile. After the cast was removed, her arm would be extensively x-rayed to see if it had healed enough to be left in a brace. Callie was itching for the wrist to be back to normal, she'd had to miss the last tournament and the next one was coming up in 8 months. She was determined to be in it. She was able to carry light items in her hands, mostly papers, small books. Still nothing heavy.

This Tuesday, found Callie hurrying to the station after classes. She was running late and had texted Spike to let him know. It didn't matter. As long as she put in 4 hours in the day, she was good to go. She had been jogging regularly to keep up her stamina, so running across town wasn't difficult. She felt weighed down however with all of the crap that she'd had to stuff in her bag. She had her school bag on her back as well as her shoulder bag which contained all of her workout clothes. She was going to start working out again.

When she got to the station, she could feel the tension coming a mile away. She walked in and everyone seemed unusually grim and upset. She wasn't too worried. She didn't say anything to anyone, just waved and went to work. Outside the cage where the guns were stored, there was a note with a list of what she needed to do that day. She put her hair up and got right to work with washing the trucks. She usually checked the interior as well as the exterior, just to be sure that it wasn't dirty.

This time she lucked out, having to wash only one truck. The previous night had been pretty quiet, the only reason that the truck got dirty is because some kids were throwing mud around at each other and got it all over the truck. They ran off before they were discovered, not telling anyone what they did and the mud had baked on in the hot sun, making it a little hard to get it off. Callie silently vowed to hunt the kids responsible down and make them wash every truck.

"There you are. I was wondering if you had come in from school, I didn't hear or see you come in. I was about to call you. Callie honey you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something really important. Here, take a break for a few minutes, have something to drink. You are going to want to know this information since it concerns you mostly." Spike sat down on the tailgate of the truck and passed her a bottle of juice, taking a drink of his own. They made small talk for a few minutes. Finally Callie looked at him.

"What's going on Dad? Why was everyone so tense today? I could smell the tension in the air before I even walked in the building. It was everyone who was tense, not just a couple people. What happened today?" Spike smiled at her and hugged her close. He knew that he wouldn't be able to protect her from everything in this world and that someday she would have to make all of her own decisions. But he could and would be there for her as much as he could or that she would allow.

"Well Greg just got word that the State Police in the state of Colorado just arrested Mr. Sanchez for some crimes over there today. Apparently after he left that tape on grandma's porch, he skipped town. You weren't supposed to have escaped or have been found. You were supposed to die that day. They are going to extradite him here to stand trial. You will have to identify him in a lineup. Are you alright with that?" Callie wilted instantly under his gaze. He was concerned.

"Ok. I was hoping that someone would find him and he would stand trial for what he did. I just didn't think it would be so soon. It's only been about 3 months. I thought that it was going to take several months, maybe even years. When do I have to see him dad?" Spike sighed to himself. He knew that she was not doing as well as she was trying to show. This had thrown her for a loop. He smiled at her and hugged her close to him.

"He will be flying into the airport from Colorado tonight. Greg set up the lineup for tomorrow afternoon. Unless you aren't ready, in which case, we will go by your time table. Within reason of course, we don't want to put it off indefinitely do we? Greg thought that it was better to get it out of the way. Greg wants to talk to you about this as well. It's standard precaution before you start fussing about it. So march, he's in the usual briefing room. I'm walking with you so I know you aren't going to duck out and disappear." Callie rolled her eyes and started walking.

When they got there, Greg was sitting there waiting for her. He looked up and merely pointed a finger at Spike and at the door, silently telling Spike to get out and leave them alone for a while, which he did. After he left, Greg hit the button to shut the door and smiled at Callie, gestured to the couch and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Callie tucked her legs under her and looked at Greg who started scribbling on a pad of paper.

"I'm fine with it Greg. I thought it was going to take the police forever to find him. I am pleased that they found him as fast as they did, but I didn't expect them to find him in a different country. That means that he will probably finally be off the streets. Better for me. I can go back to sleeping in." She noted Greg's raised eyebrow at that comment and smiled at him in an attempt to throw him off. He smiled back and offered her a bottle of water, which she took.

"I know you are fine with it Callie. Which is why I want to talk to you about it. You've never been through a lineup procedure so you don't know how it works. I am here to explain it to you to assuage any fears you might have about it and answer any questions. So let's get started. I don't want to be in the middle of trying to explain something and have to leave because of a call. It's easier to do it this way. And no Callie, I am not going to be looking at your mental status." Callie Smirked.

They talked for a couple hours. That surprised Spike as well as the rest of the team. Normally Callie pushed through it quickly and went off to do her own thing. Spike considered knocking on the door a couple times, but settled for restocking ammo and finishing the trucks for Callie. After she was done talking to Greg, she and Spike were going home. Finally the door rose up and Callie walked out and hugged him tightly.

"Can we go now Dad? Please. Greg doesn't seem to understand that I really have to pee and want away from this place. I need to process things. I'll meet you in the truck. I will finish washing the truck tomorrow. I also need food. I'm not cooking tonight either. You can cook." She walked out without waiting for a reply and Spike looked at Greg who was standing in the briefing room and he walked in, aware that Ed was hot on his heels.

"Boss? What happened in here? Why is my daughter upset? She was fine when she came in to talk to you nearly three hours ago. Did something happen to make her upset?" Greg nodded and sat back down on the couch gesturing to Spike to join him. For a few minutes, Spike remained standing. Finally after a couple more minutes, he sat down as well, waiting to hear what Greg would say. Greg looked over the notes that he had made and glanced up at him.

"She's upset because she will have to face him in court at some point. She has to identify him, and tell the jury pretty much everything that he did to her, including some things that she has not told you. Before you go off half cocked, don't ask her about them. She really can't handle it right now. She started to tell me some of it and couldn't. What she told me I will not tell you because it's personal. Give her space to relax and breathe."

Spike sat there for a moment, there was no way that there was stuff that Callie had not told him. She told him pretty much everything. Of course, he was sure that there wasn't much that she had not told him. But then he had never asked her what her childhood had been like. Had it been hell? Or was it better at certain times. He decided that he would ask later when she wasn't so rattled. Speaking of, He stood up and moved to the door.

"I am taking my daughter home and making her dinner. She has several tests tomorrow as well as getting her cast off and possibly doing the lineup. If she says that she does not want to do the line up tomorrow, she's not doing it. No one will bully her into doing it Boss. I mean it. I will be in tomorrow night for work. See you then." Spike walked off without another word.


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note:

Hey everyone... I AM SO SORRY for the lack of updates! I was at School, and my computer died. And I damn near lost everything. SO I am in the process of working to put everything back together on my mom's computer... And hoping for a new computer soon! That being said, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bear with me. I am on break for a while so I promise LOTS of updates, They just might be awhile in coming.

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 25:

The next day, Spike woke up to rattling downstairs that seemed to be coming from the kitchen. He padded down the stairs in his boxers to see Callie cooking breakfast. As well as she could with one hand to move heavy things. Spike leaned against the doorway of the stairs and watched her for a few minutes. She had headphones on and was dancing around the kitchen.

Callie was having herself a great time in the kitchen doing her own thing. She was cooking breakfast and listening to music, bobbing her head every few seconds. She had discovered a new song by her favorite group, The Backstreet Boys. She had discovered a passion for their music. She went on the computer and downloaded several of their songs. She was currently listening to the new song "Story of my life" on repeat.

While Spike watched her bounce around the kitchen, she started softly singing out loud along with the song. He caught only a few mere words of the song, but the words that he did catch gave him remarkable insight into his daughter's feelings and how she had been struggling with so many things and made him so thankful that he was able to spend the days with her.

It's hard to be strong  
No right seems wrong  
And nobody hears what you say  
So don't be afraid  
Hold on to your faith  
I swear to you there will be better days

So, staring at the wall  
Feeling ten feet small  
It's like the world is on your shoulders

Everybody falls, everybody cries  
Everybody feels like a nobody sometimes  
You get up again, give it one more try  
Everybody's got what it takes on the inside

Spike wiped a couple tears away and sniffled quietly, while sneaking back upstairs to his room before Callie saw him listening to her sing. He didn't want to embarrass her with telling her that he had heard her singing. He went into his room and knelt down beside his bed, bowed his head, was silent for a moment and spoke.

"God, I thank you so much Father for my daughter. I didn't have the years to watch her grow from a baby into a little girl and to the young woman that she is today, but she has shown me that she is an amazing young woman and I thank you so much Father. Amen" When he was done, he stayed there for a moment before rising and going to take a shower.

When he was finished showering, he got dressed quickly in his jeans and a blue button down dress shirt. He grabbed a pair of socks from his dresser noting absently that he had to do laundry soon and padded downstairs to see Callie setting the table for breakfast and talking to Greg. He yawned and announced his presence to them, noticing that Callie had put three plates on the table.

"Good Morning Callie. Hi Boss. What brings you here so early?" He sat down and they served themselves food and started eating. Greg looked a little upset and Spike didn't question him further with Callie sitting there with them so he let it go for the time being and instead told Callie that after she was done eating that she had to go upstairs and get dressed and ready to go to her doctor's appointment.

After a few minutes, Callie did just that, calling over her shoulder that Spike could do up the dishes. After she was gone, Spike refilled his and Greg's coffee before sitting down at the table again to find Greg with a file folder open in front of him. Spike didn't like the look of it, but waited patiently for Greg to clue him in. While he waited, he nibbled on a piece of bacon.

"Spike, we have a small problem. The lineup has been moved up. It is now right after Callie's doctor's appointment. Sanchez's attorney sees having it later in the day as a stalling tactic. We all know that it's a bogus claim, but I think what they are trying to do is get Callie off guard and off her game so that she makes mistakes. Making it a better chance that Sanchez walks." Spike nodded. Greg continued talking after taking a sip of his coffee.

"Another thing that you should know. The lawyer is also saying that Callie needs to undergo a psychiatric evaluation by an independent Psychologist. He wants to be sure that we aren't feeding Callie information to help her, 'railroad' his upstanding client." Spike snorted and stood up. Greg let him pace for a couple minutes before gesturing him to sit.

"Don't worry Spike. I am obviously leaving the decision up to you. But I know the guy that they want her to see. He's a sleaze. No telling what he will bring up to try and rattle her. The lawyer is also saying that he doesn't want you in the room with her when she does the lineup, or when she meets with the psychologist. Like I said, he is trying anything and everything to throw her off her game."Spike snorted again and flopped into his chair.

"Well. No, not going to happen. I will be in the room when she does the lineup. No way in hell am I allowing her to go through it alone. They can try all they want to make me not be there. Not going to happen. She's still a minor. If I can't be in there, someone who will look out for my daughter will be." Greg nodded and put a finger to his lips. Just then Callie clattered down the stairs and put her socks and shoes on.

"Dad, Can we get going soon please? I really want to get this cast off, and get the lineup done later and out of the way. I still don't see why I have to do it. I already told you all everything. I have some things that I really want to do today before you go to work tonight. It's the weekend; I want to go with you to work tonight." Spike frowned.

"Yes. We can get going in a moment. Greg and I were talking Callie. Please don't interrupt. It's not polite and you know it. Go get my jacket and yours and my wallet please. I will meet you in the truck." Callie shrugged and hurried upstairs to do as asked. When she had left, Greg looked at Spike with a smile and clapped him on the shoulder.

"You have your hands full with that one. Independent and opinionated, but gentle. Tell her what we talked about, so she's not walking in blind. She deserves to know that her credibility is being called into question by them. That way she can contain her reaction when confronted with it at the station. And if she wants to come to the station, that's fine with me. I don't mind and you know that." Greg said his goodbyes and left. Spike and Callie left a few minutes later.

On the way, Callie chatted about classes and projects and the fact that Clark asked her out on a date the next night. Spike could tell that Callie really cared about Clark a lot and he was secretly glad that she wasn't a hermit hiding out in her room in fear of guys. She had come so very far since he met her that first day on the ledge. He listened intently to what she was saying as she was talking about getting a jump on college classes.

"Callie. The line up got moved to this morning right after your dr. appointment. Are you up to doing it so soon? Because if you aren't, I will let Greg know and he will do what he can to push it back. Also I know that you won't like this idea, but his attorney is pushing for you to have a psychological evaluation with an independent psychologist. His attorney wants to be sure that you are mentally incompetent to accuse Sanchez so the identification won't stick in front of a judge." Callie laughed.

"That's fine. Let him. I don't care anymore. They won't find anything worth using. I have nothing to hide. Yeah I am up to the lineup. The sooner it is over, the better. I want to get this cast off first, and then deal with the idiot. Is that ok Dad? Everything I say, and the identifying Mr. Sanchez will stick in front of a judge. I have every reason to believe that." Spike nodded enthusiastically, making her laugh out loud. They talked the rest of the way to the hospital.

When they got there, Callie was ushered in almost immediately. They cut the cast off and cracked it open. Callie was fascinated by the cracking open of the cast. The doctor sent her back for x-rays, which came back immediately. Callie tried moving her fingers a little at a time, and was a little upset when she couldn't move them. Spike explained that was because she hadn't moved them for some time. They needed time to come back online and move.

The doctor was waiting for them when the nurse wheeled her back into the room. Callie could tell by the look on his face that she was getting another cast. She mentally rolled her eyes and smiled at the doctor, who smiled back. She hopped back on the table, with Spike's help and waited. Spike sat in the visitor's chair, listening to the doctor trying to explain something to an intern before turning back to them after the intern hurried off.

"Well Callie, Mr. Scarlatti- Sorry, Spike. It is nice to see you both again. How has the wrist been Callie?" Callie explained the pain that she had been having off and on, the near constant swelling that she had noticed in the past week. She also mentioned the items that she had been trying to lift and the frustration at not being able to work out. The doctor listened and made notes in her chart. When she was finished talking, he looked at her.

"Well. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that your wrist is healing nicely. In a couple months you should be able to start working out on a limited basis. I don't recommend doing any contact moves for at least another six months. The bad news is that I am not comfortable with you not having something protecting that wrist. So you are getting another cast." He cut Callie off before she could protest too much.

"But there is some more good news. I am giving you a brace to wear, that you can take off at night to sleep and when you bathe. Anytime you are up and around, you are to wear it. I want you to also spend 10 minutes a day trying to flex and work your wrist. Only ten minutes. No more." Callie nodded and smiled at the doctor before hopping off of the bed.

The doctor put the new brace on and sent Callie and Spike on their way after giving them some care instructions and a prescription for more pain pills. They drove over to the police station where the line up would be held. When they got there, Seth was waiting for them at the entrance. Spike threw his arm around him and give him a quick hug. Callie waited for them.

"Seth! What on earth are you doing here? Who called you? Actually, you know something, it doesn't really matter right now. Am I ever glad to see you. I really need your help with this stupid lineup." They walked as they talked. Callie had already wandered up the stairs ahead of them and had sat down on a bench waiting.

"Ed called me Spike. Said that Callie has to identify someone that hurt her and that you were not being allowed in the room with her while she does so. I was also told that they are trying to get her to meet with some shrink. They seem to have a real grudge against and hard on for you. Can you think of anyone that would want to separate the two of you?"

"The only people that I can think of that have ever made trouble for me would be her grandparents on her mothers side. Eileen and Marcus. You know that they took me to court. We have a fair relationship, but far from perfect. I have not heard from them in awhile. Seems a little strange actually now that you think about it. They came to me awhile back, wanting visitation, and I have only heard from them once since the night they took us to dinner."

They walked in and spotted Callie chattering away with Greg, who was there strictly to observe the lineup and the meeting with the Psychologist. They stopped and talked for a few minutes to explain how a lineup worked before letting the desk sergeant know that they were ready. Before they entered the room, Callie tugged on Spike's sleeve and whispered in his ear.

"Well Dad. Let's get this over with. I have places that I would really rather be right now. If I don't want to answer a question that the shrink asks me, I can refuse to answer right? I mean I know that uncle Greg will be in there, but I don't want to answer embarressing questions. Is that ok?" Spike nodded and nudged her into the room so they could get the interview over with.


	26. Chapter 26

Author's note:

Sorry for the slow updates. Writer's Block has been everywhere for me the past few weeks. I am slowly coming out of it and I WILL TRY to get more updates out there quickly. Please forgive =)

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 26

A few weeks later, Spike was at work and Callie was at school and doing her own thing regarding after school activities. They were slowly settling back into their routines. Spike assumed that she was content, but he knew deep down that she was not happy. She made a big show, acting like she was. There were subtle indicators that showed that Callie wasn't as happy she wanted Spike to think she was.

One of the indicators that Callie didn't seem very happy was that Callie seemed to be very moody. She moped about the house all the time, only sometimes going to the store with Spike. She prefered to be on her own a lot. Spike thought that a lot of it was her being a teenager. She hadn't broken curfew at all, which surprised Spike.

Another example of her acting out was that she ceased telling Spike where she was going all of the time. Most of the time, she was with Clark, so he didn't bother worrying. Other times, She was with another friend, Kathleen, Who was a very nice girl, So again, he didn't worry. He noticed a subtle change come over Callie, so he started to get concerned.

He and Greg figured that Callie was experiencing a delayed reaction to having had to go through the lineup. But that didn't appear to be the case. She didn't seem to give the Lineup a second thought. Before she went in, She had to meet with the shrink. She made it very clear that she didn't like fishing expeditions, and walked out after 5 minutes, having not answered a single question. After that, she went downstairs for the lineup, listened to the instructions spent about 2 minutes looking at and identifying Sanchez.

After the lineup, which Callie breezed through with no problems, She was told that she would be notified when the trial was and when she would need to be ready to testify. After that she was released to Spike and they went home and tried to move on with Life. Spike went out on a couple dates with a nice young woman that Callie seemed to like. Callie was getting very comfortable with cooking for herself and managing on her own.

The one thing that concerned Spike the most, was the fact that Callie wasn't coming by the station as much as she used to. She still came in and did her job, but mostly she came in, worked, and left without telling Spike that she had been there. Of course he knew that she had been there because the rest of the team informed him.

It was a cold, snowy day in December when Spike recieved a phone call informing him that The trial for Mr. Sanchez was set to begin after the first of the year. Spike had sat down with Callie and explained to her that she would have to testify and that she would have to answer a lot of embarressing questions about things that Sanchez had done to her.

Callie had been pretty quiet after Spike had told her that. She said that she did not want to answer any questions about when he had done to her. Spike was at a loss. He explained that if she didn't, Sanchez would most likely go free and be out to hurt someone else. It took several hours to get the full reason out of Callie. It was not easy because Callie refused to explain herself.

"Dad, I don't want to talk to you about it anymore. You're a guy. You don't understand what it's like to be raped. You don't know what it feels like to feel pain from being made to have sex. No one on the team does either. I don't want to talk about it. So please drop it." Spike had sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face. Callie had gotten up and went to her room, slamming her door shut.

Spike counted to 10 slowly and walked up the stairs to her room. When he tried the doorknob it was locked. He knocked on the door and listened for an answer. There was none. He grew a little angry and banged on the door. When Callie still didn't answer, he went to his room and got the lock picks that Wordy had given him for his last birthday.

"Callasandra Marie Scarlatti. You have exactly one minute to open this door or I will pick the lock and come in. Do not make me do this, because I will punish you." He heard nothing. He squatted down and picked the lock in less than 30 seconds. He knocked again to be polite and got no reaction. Angry, he opened the door and walked in.

Callie was sitting on the couch in her room and had her back turned to him. He could tell that she was awake, but blatantly ignoring him. He leaned in the doorway and watched her for a moment. She was definitely his daughter. Ignoring him and being very patient were strong suits in her. Spike walked into the room and sat down on the bed and propped his feet on the couch.

"Do you want a chance to explain yourself and your behavior Callie? This is not like you. You have been moody lately, You have been a little bit disrespectful to people, I want an answer as to why. You have never in all the time since I found you, been this rude or disrepectful. You hardly ever talk to people when they talk to you." Callie looked at him and shrugged.

"There's nothing to say. I get tired of talking to people. Everyone keeps trying to make me talk about all of the shit that Sanchez put me through. I'm sick of it. I am tired of talking about him. I just want to be normal and free from him. How can I fucking put him and what he did behind me if I have to keep bringing it up and talk about it?" Callie paced around the room and paused by the window and stared out at the snow. Spike was dumbfounded.

He got up and crossed the room to Calie and grabbed her by the arm. He swung her gently around to face him and put his hand under her chin. Callie got angry and slapped his hand away from her chin. Spike raised an eyebrow at her behavior and pointed to the bed. Callie rolled her eyes and turned away again. Spike Grabbed her arm again jerking her around to face him.

"Your butt. Sit it down NOW on that couch. We need to talk." Callie rolled her eyes again and sat down. Spike ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He didn't understand why Callie was behaving in this manner. He had always thought that she was adjusting to everything. The second that he found out that she was his daughter, He brought her home to live with him.

He took her out of that horrible house that she had lived in and had been abused for so long. He still had no idea just how long the abuse had gone on. He knew of at least 2 years. He suspected a lot more. He figured that she was grateful that he had rescued her. Now though, he wasn't too sure how she felt about things. But he intended to find out.

He assumed many things. Such as she liked being around him and the others in SRU. He thought that She was happy. Apparently not. He sat there for a moment lost in thought. He was drawn out of his musings by his phone ringing. He picked it up and answered it hoping that it was Greg, so he could get some kind of advice.

"Hello? Mike Scarlatti speaking." He noted absently that it was Ed's home number. He was curious as to why he was calling him from home. His first thought was that something was wrong with the family. then he thought that Ed misplaced his cell phone. He dismissed that thought immediately. Ed didn't simply misplace things.

"Hi Uncle Spike! This is Clark. I lost my phone, may I speak to Callie please? I want to ask her a question about some homework." Spike smiled to himself. Clark was a nice young man Ed was lucky to have him for a son. He shook his head and looked at Callie who was looking out the window again. He rolled his eyes and spoke into the phone.

"I'm sorry Clark, But Callie lost her phone privileges for the rest of the night. She and I are about to have a conversation as well. I will have her call you tomorrow. Have a good night." He hung up after Clark said bye and turned to Callie. She had sat back down on the couch and had a bored look on her face. He grit his teeth, knowing that she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"Callie. We need to talk. You need to tell me what is going on with you. You have been rude, obnoxious and moody as hell the past couple weeks. You have been distant as well. You also swear way more than I appreciate, so I suggest that you explain yourself before I turn you over my knee and bust your ass." Callie narrowed her eyes at him and remained silent. After a moment, she opened her mouth.

"I have nothing to say. I am sick and tired of everyone trying to make me talk about Sanchez. I don't want to talk about him. I don't want to fucking talk about what it was like being forced to give him oral sex, I don't want to talk about what it was like with his pals. STOP MAKING ME TALK ABOUT IT!" She threw the book that was on her couch across her room and watched it fall to the floor.

Spike didn't know what to do. He was at a loss at what to say to her. He knew that nothing he would say would help her. He knew that they would only be empty words to her that would mean absolutely nothing and would probably only cause her more pain. He reached for her to draw her into a hug only to have her move out of his reach.

"Just please get out of my room Dad. I REALLY want to be alone right now. I don't want you touching me, I don't want you trying to talk me down from some ledge. I want space so back off. If I have to, I will leave." She slid down and curled up on the floor in the corner of her room. Spike could see that she was dangerously close to tears.

"Ok. How about if I give Sam a call? Would you rather chat with him?" Callie nodded and Spike picked up his phone and dialed Sam's number. He hoped that Sam wasn't busy and could spare the time to come over. He felt a little jealous that Callie didn't want to talk to him but he was ok with it at the same time. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he couldnt fix all of Callie's problems.

"Hello? Hey Spike, What's up?" Sam could be heard rummaging around in his apartment. Spike smiled. He knew by the sounds that Sam was alone and probably on his way out. He hoped that Sam could help. He was aware of Sam calling his name. He shook his head at his wandering mind. He glanced at where Callie was still sitting on the floor and shook his head.

"Heya Sam, I was wondering if you are free at the moment? I'm trying to Talk to Callie and she's not hearing me, nor is she feeling my presence at the moment. She needs to talk, about things that are going on with her, and she's being very stubborn. She asked for you. I hate imposing on you like this, and I hope you don't feel obligated, but could you come talk to her?"

"Absolutely. I've been meaning to talk to her for a few days, but we've been so busy, just never found the time. Tell her, I will be by in 20 and to be ready. We are going for coffee, and no, you aren't going. We go for a coffee thing twice a month, My way of getting her out of the house and give you time to yourself. You need it as much as she does." Sam hung up and Spike was left staring at his phone.

"Callie? Sam is on his way over and he said for you to be ready. Apparently you guys are going for coffee. So get cleaned up and meet me downstairs in 10 minutes please. I will give you a little bit of money before Sam gets here." Callie got up and started gathering some clothes to throw on and Spike closed the door to give her privacy.

A moment later, Callie thumped down the stairs. Spike handed her some money, which she put in her pocket. She sat down to wait for Sam. Spike did up the dishes and they ignored each other until there was a knock on the door. Spike went to answer it, coming back with Sam following him. He peeked in on Callie, who was sitting on the couch reading the paper.

"Sam. I don't expect you to tell me what you two talk about, but I really appreciate you doing this for me. She really seems to resent me right now- And I don't know why. I am seriously thinking about telling her that she can sleep over at a friends house off and on, to give ourselves some breathing room. We need some serious time away from each other." Sam merely nodded and ushered Callie out the door, Calling over his shoulder not to wait up. Spike shook his head and set the alarm and went up to bed.


	27. Chapter 27

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 27

Across town in an all night coffee shop, Callie sat at a table while Sam went to get their drinks. While he was in line, Callie thought about how snotty she had been to her father. She hadn't wanted to be so rude. The hurt she had seen in his eyes when she snapped at him had been almost more than she could bear. She knew that she needed to apologize when she saw him again.

Sometimes, Callie thought about what her life would be like had she not tried to kill herself that day on the bridge. If Spike had not been out jogging that day and stopped her. If they had not met at all ever. What life would be like. Sometimes she wished that she had never met Spike. But she knew that she was so lucky to have met him, and have him express an interest in her.

'Besides, It was one of my biggest prayers that I would learn who my parents were. So I know who they are. That prayer has been answered. Why should I want to hate my father? Of course being annoyed with your parents is standard from what I am told. I should consider myself lucky instead of cursed because my father is well meaning and wants the best for me. It was stupid to think for even a moment that I wished that he hadn't tried to save me that I would be better off.'

Her phone beeped signaling that she had a text message. It was from her father. She opened it up and read it. He said that she could stay at Sam's tonight and that he would see her tomorrow afternoon at the station. He apologized for the fight and his harsh words with her. He told her that he loved her and that he was going to bed. He also mentioned that it was a school night and that she needed her stuff. She smiled at his reminder.

She texted him back, apologized and said thank you. She put the phone back in her pocket and looked for Sam. She saw a couple girls that were flirting with him and he flirted back and shook his head. He finished talking to them after a moment and made his way to their table. He smiled and set the drinks down along with a plate of Chocolate cookies. Callie wrinkled her nose at him and smirked. She was happy that he had remembered the cookies. They were so good and homemade.

Sam was quiet for a while. It was part of their ritual. They spent about five minutes being quiet, indulging in their drinks, before they would start talking. Sam could tell that Callie seemed to crave the silence almost as much as he did tonight. He studied her as she sipped her cocoa, having decided against coffee tonight. He could tell she was on edge. Spike had been when he called.

Today had been a hard day at work for Sam and the whole team. He hadn't had to take a life, but he had been taken as a hostage, and the guy who had taken him, who was mentally unstable, was shot and killed by Wordy. It had missed Sam's head by mere inches. If he hadn't moved his head to the side at the last second, he would have been shot in the head and would have died.

It had made him think long and hard about the unnecessary risks he took everyday both in his work and in his private lives. He resolved to stop taking so many risks and start thinking about settling down with some nice girl, maybe his girlfriend. Wouldn't Callie like to see that. Sam actually going down the aisle to get married and then having kids. She would be worse than Jules.

He knew that Spike never told Callie about the bad days at work. He had no intention of telling her about today, because it would only serve to upset her. He respected Spikes decision about that. After a moment he was pulled from his thoughts by Callie, shoving a cookie in his mouth. He tried to snap her finger into his mouth as well but she was too quick for him. She laughed.

"Dad said that I could sleep at your house tonight. Is that ok Sam? If not, I can always go home. We haven't hung out in a while. You are always busy with your girlfriend on your off time. Have you heard from your father since the last time you guys talked?" Sam raised his eyebrow at her and nodded. He held up a finger to say give me a moment and swallowed the cookie. Callie nibbled on a cookie while she waited. These were a little different, they had a chocolate melt center.

"Yeah, that's fine if you sleep over. You have clothes there from the last time. It's a school night though, so we will have to stop at your house and get your books and things. We will stop there after we are done here. Text your dad and let him know. As for my father? No, I have not heard from him since I told him the last time we spoke that I was not leaving the SRU. He never gives up trying to get me to go back to the military." Callie nodded and quickly texted Spike.

Callie nodded and sipped her cocoa for a minute. With Sam taking her to school in the morning, she knew that she might be able to get a coffee in the morning. Spike really almost never allowed her to get a coffee before School. She hated it at times but she understood why to an extent. She'd rather not get addicted to Coffee anymore than she really needed it. She had seen kids in School that literally could not function without the stuff.

"What about you Callie? Why is your father so on edge and upset? And why are you for that matter? You are kinda like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs." Sam watched her closely. He knew that there was a reason for the upset and he wanted to help her as much as possibly. He saw himself as her older brother rather than the other title of uncle that the other guys had. As an older brother, he was privy to a lot of information that even her father wasn't.

"I don't really want to talk about it Sam. Please respect that. I know that you understand what it's like to want and need control in your life. Please allow me the same." Sam shook his head and held up a hand, signaling that he wasn't going to ask anymore questions for the time being. Callie smiled at him and patted his hand. She knew that anything she told him he wouldn't tell anyone. That's why she talked to him so much.

"Can we get out of here now Sam and just walk? I just need to walk off my frustrations. I want to go for a walk and dad never lets me go for a walk at night unless he's with me. Kinda of defeats the purpose of walking and clearing my head when he happens to be part of the problem, you know? We could go walk in the park. I highly doubt anyone is going to mess with us. But then I just might be a little naive. How's Amanda?" Sam laughed and offered his hand.

That was one of the things that Sam found that he liked about his girlfriend. He had introduced her to everyone one evening at the station and Callie had taken a liking to her alomst immediately. She didn't mind that they hung out a lot, nor that they held hands when they walked, though that was rare and hardly ever for more than 5 or 10 minutes. Sam had explained to her that Calliw was like his little sister, Amanda liked the fact that Sam had other people to talk to.

As they walked, they talked. Callie liked talking to Sam sometimes a lot more than talking to her father. She loved her father and adored him, but sometimes she felt suffocated by his well meaning intentions. She was drawn out of her musings by Sam poking her and then tickling her before taking off at a run. She shrieked and ran after him, demanding that he stop so she could get him back. Sam barked out a laughed and refused yelling at her to work for it.

They ran all over the park. Sam led her to the bridge overlooking the Lake, and down back to where they had started from by the roundabout way. He knew that she was exhausted by the way she was running. He laughed at her and then yelled when her fingers had touched his sweater barely. He put on the speed and tried to shake her.

"I will get you Sam! It's not nice to tickle someone if you have no intention of recieving the same treatment and you know it! Get back here! I'm not done with you!" She continued chasing him around the park, expending a ton of energy. It felt good to get the energy out in this way. She executed a jump over a bench and slapped Sam's shoulder before rolling into a crouch.

After awhile of running around, Callie plopped down on a bench to rest. She had a sad look on her face. Sam sat down next to her, half on her drawing a squeak and shove from Callie. She leaned against him. Sam put his arm around her protectively as she started crying. He let her have her cry, passing her a couple napkins that he grabbed from the coffee shop.

After a few minutes, Callie sat back and dried her tears and took a couple deep breaths. Sam decided to push the issue with her again. He figured that she might be a little more willing to talk now, having bottled things up for so long inside. His phone rang before he could say anything. He turned away to answer it, leaving Callie to sit on the bench quietly thinking. He saw the number was his father's and he debated answering it.

"Hello. This is Braddock speaking." He tried to sound professional. His father's voice sounded pleased. Sam grit his teeth immediately, thinking that his father was up to something. He mentally prepared himself for a verbal battle and the possibility of hanging up the phone on his father if he got too verbally abusive. It wasn't that he wanted to or even liked hanging up on his father, but sometimes, he had to. For his own sanity.

"Samuel. This is your father. You mother would like for you to come to dinner tomorrow evening, that is if you are not working the night shift. She wants to meet your new girlfriend. I would like to meet her as well. Your mother would like for you to come at 6pm. Is that alright?" Sam wasn't fooled, although he was curious. He knew that his father was going to talked about going back to the military again. He planned on shutting his down fast.

"Yes Sir. That will be fine of course. I will let Amanda know so that she has a chance to find something appropriate to wear. Will dinner be at your home or at a restaurant?" They finished discussing dinner and Sam hung up, having realized that his father had not said one word about returning to the military. Maybe he was changing, though Sam was willing to bet that it wasn't that easy. He left a quick message for Amanda with details and turned back to Callie.

"Ok Kid. We need to have our together time to talk. Where were we? I apologize for taking that call, my father called and I am going to dinner with Amanda and meeting the parents at a restaurant tomorrow evening. But back to you and I . What's on your mind and circling around in there?" Callie smiled and settled back on the bench. She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"Dad is pushing me to testify in the trial. Without me, we have no case. Part of me is like why bother, He will be out of jail in a matter of months anyway. What's the point of testifying and him being out and free almost immediately? He would be free to call me, harass me, make my life hell again. It was not wrong for me to report me. I refuse to feel bad for reporting him." Sam nodded and hugged her to his chest. He hurt so badly for her.

"You shouldn't feel bad for reporting him. He was a monster that needed to be arrested. And I wish that we would have known about it years ago when you were a little girl. Maybe we would have been able to spare you so much pain. But things happened the way they did for a reason. What that reason is, I don't know. Maybe you will find that reason someday." Sam huffed standing up and pacing around for a couple minutes.

Callie smirked at him. Sam had a point. She wasn't going to waste time being upset and sad because she couldn't know the answers right away. She spent a few minutes thinking about what life was like when she was younger. Life was so much more simpler. She didn't have to make all of these decisions. Her parents, no not her parents, the sanchezes had made all of her decisions for her. All of them. Including the one decision that she should have been able to make for herself.

She shook her head quickly to clear the sad images. That was a lifetime ago and she was positive that there would ever be any closure for it. She would continue going on living on as though it didn't bother her. No matter how badly it did bother her. She wished that she would have fought harder against the two of them. She was just as guilty and he was. Callie took a deep breath. It was time to come clean. She knew it.

"The trial is after the first of the year. They want me to testify against him. That means telling everyone in that room, EVERYTHING that happened. The beatings, the rapes by his so called friends, the "family gatherings" where I had to go around servicing the guys, my daughter, having to service total strangers for money, my entire college education has been-" Sam's shout of disbelief cut her off.

"YOU'RE WHAT?"


	28. Chapter 28

Author's note:

Hey everyone, Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate them. It seems that the writer's block is going away a little bit for me, considering that this is the third update is one week. Keep the reviews coming. If there's something you want me to read let me know so I can return the favor.

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 28

Sam sat there on the bench in complete shock. He shook his head slowly. He felt as though he were in a fog. Either that or someone punched him. He was silent for so long that Callie pulled out her phone and was about to dial 911 when he made some kind of noise and looked at her. His eyes looked as though they were the size of dinner plates. Callie almost laughed, but then she remembered that what she had said was very serious.

"Callie honey. What do you mean your daughter? We checked. You have had no children. There were no other children living with the Sanchezes. If there had been, we would have had them removed. You were an only child. You are only 16, you have been around us since you were 13. I really think that one of us would have noticed if you had been pregnant and had a kid. You don't. Explain this to me because I am really not understanding." Callie sighed and rolled her eyes.

She had expected this kind of reaction. The only people that knew that she had had a kid in the past were here obviously, and Clark. She told him nearly right away. It hadn't bothered him. He made a promise not to tell his parents. And now Sam knew. Surprisingly though, she did feel a little better after having told Sam. She placed a hand on he stomach. It seemed natural to do it, even after all this time. She knew that no matter what she told Sam or who else found out, She was going to be alright. She wasn't going to hold back any longer.

"I was 12 years old at the time Sam. Mr Sanchez had raped me for the very first time. I didn't expect to get pregnant. I didn't think I could get pregnant at that age. So when my stomach was getting bigger and hurting and we couldn't figure out why, Mrs. Sanchez took me to a doctor that was a friend of theirs. He confirmed the pregnancy. He was supposed to call the police but never did. I should have reported his ass too." She took a shaky breath and forged on.

"They took me out of school. They told the school that they had decided to home school me. They did for a short while. But it was really to cover their own asses and hide the fact that I was pregnant. The agreement was that I would go back to public school when I was healed after delivering my daughter. I found out that I was having a girl. I was happy. The kid didn't expect to have a rapist for a father, nor did she expect to be born to a 12 year old mother."

Sam grabbed her into a hug and held her as the tears started to flow again. His heart broke for her. Callie cried for several minutes, heart wrenching sobs that shook her body. She didn't want to finish telling Sam, but the gates had been opened already, making it a little easier to tell him about it. She eased herself back away from Sam, smiling a shaky smile at him, trying to make him think that she was ok, though he knew that she wasn't, not by a long shot.

"Callie. What happened to her? What was her name?" Sam didn't want to ask, but he felt this surge of protectiveness towards this unknown child that was a part of Callie that no one had ever met, including her. Callie smiled sadly. She didn't like thinking about the circumstances surrounding her daughters disappearance from her life, but it had to be said. It would get easier with time, the more that she acknowledged it

"I didn't get the chance to give her a name. She came into this world on October 29th 2008. Two days before my due date. She was supposed to be born on Halloween that year. When she was born, I heard her cry. I never got to hold her. The doctor who confirmed my pregnancy delievered her and had her taken away. The Sanchezes had someone adopt her. I know who adopted her. I didn't found out until about 6 months after giving birth who had adpoted her."

"I was not allowed to see her or have anything to do with her. Anytime I went over, she was kept away from me, or she was taken elsewhere. It was as if they didn't want me to form any type of attachement to her. I don't understand what it was that I did so wrong to make them not want me to keep my own children. I was forced to give her up. I wasn't even allowed to sign the papers myself. Mrs. Sanchez did. They said I was mentally incompetent."

Sam could see that telling this story was wearing on her greatly. He checked his watch and noticed that it was getting late and that it was time to be getting back to his place. He picked Callie up and carried her back to his truck. He put her in the front seat and buckled her in. He told her that they were going to his place, that he was going to keep her home from school in the morning. She was in no shape to go to school in the morning.

"You are going to have to tell your father this you know. He needs to know about this. Before the trial, in case they try to blindside him with the news. You have to make some kind of decisions as to how you want to take care of this. I will be with you if you want, but he needs to know all of this. I would suggest waking him up now but that might be a bit much. So we will go back to my house, get some sleep, and talk to him in the morning." There was no response from Callie.

"Callie, Honey? Did you hear me? You did nothing wrong in that whole mess. It was all him and his wife. You understand me?" Sam looked over at her. She was half turned away from him, watching the buildings and the lights pass by as they drove back to Sam's place. Sam thought that she had gone mute again in an effort to protect herself from being hurt. He touched her shoulder, cringing when she jumped. She groped around in her jacket for a tissue of some kind.

Callie nodded and remained silent. She let tears course down her cheeks without bothering to wipe them away. She was hurting so badly right now. She cried for herself and her lost childhood. She cried for the daughter that she should have been raising but never got the chance to know. She cried for her father because she felt as though she were letting him down enormously. She was pulled from her thoughts when Sam touched her arm.

"Callie. You aren't letting anyone down you know. It was not your fault. But I know about it now, and tomorrow your father will. That will take away some of the silent burden you have been carrying around for the past four or five years. I am sorry that you never got a chance to hold her. We will try to do whatever we can to bring her home to you. But I can't promise. You may have to go the lawyer route. But no matter what, We will ALL be here for you."

When they got back to Sam's place, Sam set out a couple blankets for her along with a pillow. She knew where to find the towels and what not. Sam had a feeling that she was going to have nightmares tonight. He really hoped not, but he had a feeling that he'd be dealing with some wet laundry in the morning. Not that he cared, He'd had enough instances of wetting the bed after he returned from the military that it didn't phase him anymore.

"If you need me in the middle of the night, Don't hesitate to come in the room and wake me up. I mean it. For any reason. Come wake me up. I won't be mad. The extra towels are in the usual cabinet. You had extra clothes in the basket. Mr. Beans will be delighted to have your company." Sam stated, making sure that he mentioned his new kitten that Callie made him buy. She adored kittens. He knew that was one of the reasons she was looking forward to staying over.

Callie smiled and nodded laying on the couch and making a small spot for the kitten to crawl up. Sure enough, as soon as she got comfy, Mr. Beans leapt up and curled up next to her chin, mewing loudly before placing a paw on her nose and starting to purr, lulling Callie to a fitful sleep. Sam watched her a moment before heading to his room to do the same. He could only hope that Callie would be ok, and that Spike would as well after hearing the bombshell that she was going to drop in his lap tomorrow.

The next morning, Sam awoke to the smell of coffee. He knew that Callie, had to have made it, and probably downed a cup already. She was a coffee fiend. But that was ok, At least she didn't live on it like some people that he knew. He was off today, as was Spike. So he gave a quick call to the school and told them that Callie was sick and that he was going to take her back home so her father could take her to the doctors.

He gave a quick call to Spike, telling him that Callie had somethnig to tell him that couldn't wait so he was keeping her out of school for the day and bringing her home in a little bit. Spike was fine with that, and said that he would be fixing breakfast for them when they got to his place. Sam was fine with that and hung up the phone, amazed that he didn't flat out tell Spike. He bounced out of bed, and threw a shirt on before looking in his closet and grabbing a clean pair of jeans and a sweater.

He padded down the hall to see Callie curled up on the window seat looking outside at the traffic as it passed by down below. She was drinking a cup of coffee while she watched the kitten running and jumping up and down off of the seat. Sam shook his head at the reminder of everything that she had told him about her daughter last night. For a few minutes, he had wanted to go to the prison where Sanchez was and kill him. He would settle for seeing him convicted.

He had thought about calling in a couple favors at the prison. It could be a complete accident. Sam knew that all it would take is one mere person mentioning off hand that Sanchez liked little kids. He would be dead before sundown. That was the way that prisons worked. Callie deserved to see him convicted and behind bars for the rest of his life. He was pulled out of his musings when Callie shoved a mug of hot coffee in his hands.

"Thanks Callie. Give me like 20 minutes to grab a shower and get some clean clothes on and I will be ready to go. I already called the school and told them that you were sick. And I told Spike that I was keeping you home because you weren't feeling well and that we were dropping by soon. He knows you need to talk to him, but not what about. I thought it best to come from you. I will be there if you need me to be there, I will leave if you want me to. Your choice."

Callie nodded and filled the kittens bowls with fresh food and water. She threw her shoes on and put her clothes from last night in a plastic bag, intending on throwing them in the wash immediately when she got home. She sat on the couch, waiting for Sam to finish. While she waited, she threw a wadded up peice of paper for Mr. Beans and thought about just how different her life might have been if she had been allowed to keep her daughter.

Her daughter would be about 4 years now. Did she have a good life? Was she treated right by the people that she had called her aunt and uncle? The two people that she didn't really have a problem with having her daughter. Was she happy? She hoped so. Would she have the strength that it would take to take her from the only parents she had ever known to raise her herself? She didn't know what would happen after she told her father, But he needed to know that he had a grand daughter out there in the world.

When they got back to Spike's house and Sam had shut off the truck, Callie didn't get out and run into the house immediately like usual. She was that scared and Sam knew it. Sam grabbed her hand and smiled at her. She smiled back at him. She gestured that she was going to be a moment and Sam went into the house to find Spike mopping the kitchen floor, with the other floors already done. Sam laughed, drawing Spike out of his rhythm.

"Hey Sam! How are you doing? Where's my daughter? She has some mail that was delivered by messenger. It looks important. I went out and got bagels and cream cheese instead of cooking. Help yourself, you know where everything is. Hey sweetie. How was your evening? You look ok, Are you feeling better?" Callie smiled and nodded. She hugged him tightly and grabbed a bagel and sat down to sort through her mail.

"Hi Dad, Yeah I feel much better. A little tired though. I didn't sleep that much. After I eat something, I might go up and take a nap. What did you do last night? I know you didn't go straight to bed." Spike raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. His daughter seemed to know him well. He HADN'T gone straight to bed. He'd had some coffee and then had a lady friend over for some alone time. But he was not about to tell Callie that.

"Hey Callie This came for you special delivery today. It looks really important. You might want to check it out first. Might be good news. Maybe you won't be needed to testify after all." Callie nodded absently and looked at the return address, noticing that it was from some lawyers office. She didn't think that Sanchez's lawyer would be sending her stuff, but she opened it regardless. She figured that it was probably just a stupid advertisement.

After reading the enclosed letter the first time through, what it said didn't seem to sink in for Callie. Her head was swimming, she felt a little nauseous and she lay back on her bed and read it a second time. When it finally began to sink in what the letter said, she did the only logical thing that her brain was thinking for her to do. She sat straight up and screamed.

"DADDY! SAM!"


	29. Chapter 29

Author's note:

Sorry that I have not updated like I promised… I have been helping with a family member that has been very ill, and it's left me little time for writing. I am slowly trying to get these chapters written. I hate leaving people hanging for too long. I don't know how much longer I'm going to make this story.

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 29

Spike and Sam took the stairs two at a time. Callie had sounded so frightened when she had screamed. Spike's first thought was that the mail had been something obscene. Something that was wrong for a young woman to have seen. Sam, on the other hand, felt that it was too much of a coincidence that she got something in the mail that frightened her the day after her having told him about her daughter.

When they got into her room, Callie was sitting on the bed, shaking with a hand covering her mouth. She wasn't crying, but anyone could see that she was extremely upset. Spike went to comfort her while Sam quickly looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. He picked up the paper that had fallen out of Callie's hand and looked at it quickly. It was a registered letter from a law firm here in town.

He quickly scanned the letter. Getting the whole reason for Callie's upset took less than thirty seconds. Sam closed his eyes briefly as he felt her pain. She was already dealing with so much stuff, and now this. When would it end? When would Callie finally get a break to have some semblence of a normal life? Sam had to admire her strength though. A lesser person would have given up and admitted defeat by now. Not Callie.

"Callie. What has gotten you so upset? Who sent you that mail?" Spike sat back and patiently watched her as she regained her composure. Callie looked at Sam and he nodded back at her encouragingly. Callie nodded, took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. She took Spike's hand and smiled at him with tears begining to form in her eyes. She didn't know how he would take the news that she was about to drop.

"Daddy. I love you. I don't deserve to have you as a father because lately I have been nothing but horrible to you and mean and rude. But you still love me. You welcome me back everytime. You could have wanted nothing to do with me at all and just ignored me when you saw me on the ledge. You could have never taken custody of me when you found out that I was your daughter." Spike smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Dad, what I am about to tell you, Sam already knows about it because sometimes it is easier to talk to people that you are not directly related to about things when you wish you could find the words to talk to the people that you are directly related to." She paused for a moment and Spike nodded at her, encouraging her to continue. Callie reached for the paper that Sam held out to her before sitting on the couch.

"That is understandable sweetie. Sometimes you want to say something and you can't say it to someone in particular because you don't know how that person will react, nor do you think that they would be able to handle it. I am here for you now though Callie. No matter what you say to me. It will not make me love you any less. If anything It will make me love you even more than I already do." Spike said while turning around around to face her fully. Callie nodded and smiled at him.

"When I was 12, the abuse by Mr. Sanchez had been going on for about 6 months. He raped me for the first time when I was 12. I had been conditioned by him for 3 years to accept that his touching me was alright. That it was acceptable in our house. About 3 months after he raped me, I started having really bad stomach pains. I couldn't figure out why. My first thought was that he had really hurt me inside by raping me." Sam murmured that he was going to go get some water for them and disappeared.

"I finally went to Mrs. Sanchez and told her that I felt that something was really wrong. She took me to the doctor. She assumed that because I had started putting on weight that I just needed to lose weight. I was getting really big around the stomach and hip areas. She always wanted me to be the perfect daughter. Thin, petite and well mannered. She never wanted me to weigh more than 120 lbs. I was always like, 'gag me. Please'." Callie took another deep breath and wiped her nose with a tissue.

"Anyway, the doctor happened to be a friend of the family. He ran several tests, he had a nurse come in and draw blood. I overheard Mrs. Sanchez tell him to run a pregnancy test. That was when I knew without a doubt that Mrs. Sanchez knew what her husband was doing to me when I was a little girl. I kept telling her, hoping that she would call the police. Nothing." Callie smiled sadly at Spike

Spike stared at her. He was completely silent. He knew without a doubt what she was about to tell him, but he needed to hear her say the words. He didn't dare believe it was true until she said the words. He was almost afraid to believe it. He needed the verbal confirmation to what he was thinking. Surprisingly, he wasn't angry that Sam knew before he did. He was just thankful that someone had been there to listen to her anguish.

"It came back positive. The doctor confirmed my pregnancy. I was having a child. I thought for sure that this would be brought to the attention of the police and that someone, ANYONE, would rescue me from the hell that Sanchez was putting me through. The doctor told me to wait in the hall. He and Mrs. Sanchez discussed it. I was to carry the child to term and then the child would be put up for adoption. Only I was told that I would carry the child to term and that I would have them to help me raise her."

Spike could not hold his tears back any longer. He tried to be quiet about it, but couldn't. He cried for Callie's pain. He cried for not knowing his grandchild. He cried for not having known earlier about the abuse and being able to not spare her the pain. He was curious why this was only now coming out. He didn't want to push Callie into talking about it, but He had to know where the kid was now if Callie knew anything.

"Do you know where, That is can you see, What I mean is-"Callie cut him off. She took his hand and squeezed it to get his attention. She looked different know. Peaceful, serene. Sam had long since come back from the kitchen with water for them both. Callie smiled and sipped her water. She turned to look at Sam who was sitting there, nodding his head. She smiled at him and hugged him impulsively.

"When I went into labor, It was around midnight. Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez took me to the hospital and I was taken into a private room and later a private birthing room. I had very little contact with anyone other than the doctor, the Sanchezes and one nurse who was in the Doctor's pocket. It should have tipped me off then and there what was about to happen, but I was too scared, not understanding what was going on with my own body."

"Dad. You have a granddaughter out there in the world. I delivered her on October 29th 2008. Two days before my due date. She was supposed to be born on the 31st. I never got to name her. I never even got to hold her. I delivered her and the doctor had the nurse take her away. I was not allowed to form any attachement to her whatsoever. I didn't even know until six months later who had adopted her."

Spike was flabbergasted to say the least and pinched himself. That hurt. He really did have a grand daughter. He smiled at Callie. He had missed so much by not knowing about his daughter from the start. He hugged her tightly while she cried. He let her have her cry. This all had to have weighed on her emotionally for so long. But he would try to ease the pain for her just a little bit if he could. Callie held up a peice of paper.

"I got that envelope in the mail today. It was a letter from my Aunt Kayla and Uncle Sidney's Attorney. They both passed away from a car accident a couple weeks ago and their daughter, Amelia Addison Sanchez is all alone. There are no relatives to care for her, except for Mrs. Sanchez and some other scattered relatives." Callie handed the letter over to Spike who looked it over quickly.

"They put in their will, a certified, notarized document saying that Amelia is my biological daughter. They put in the will also, that should anything happen to them both, they wanted custody turned over to me immediately. There's also some letters and things for me that for some reason I was not allowed to have." Spike looked at Sam as he nudged him with the glass of water.

The attorney has been trying to get ahold of me for the past 2 weeks to go over the documents and arrange for custody to be transfered. Mrs. Sanchez told him that I was out of the country. She deliberately lied to the lawyer. I know that She's angry because the will acknowledges that I am her birth mother and that custody is to be turned over to me." Callie sighed and crossed to the window.

"I expect that there will be a fight over custody. I know Mr. Sanchez will claim paternal rights. And I know Mrs. Sanchez will try to say that they had to make me give up Amelia because I was not in my right mind at the time to be raising a child. That I am still not in the right frame of mind to raise her. They are also going to bring up my troubled childhood. I am up to the fight though." Sam hugged her along with Spike when he walked over.

"No Callie. We are. WE are up to the fight. We will all back you up. You are part of this family. We will back you for however long it takes. You will be bringing Amelia home soon. As soon as we get the go ahead, We are going to pick out a room for her and decorate it. One close to you. You are going to have to form an attachment with your daughter. Maybe the one down the hall from you. I just pray that she hasn't been abused."

"You do realize of course that we will have to get all of her stuff and bring it here. How old is she anyway? I wonder what kind of things she likes. I am excited by the idea of having another little sister. I would ask what she looks like but you don't have any pictures. Did the lawyer happen to send one for you to see what your daughter looks like by chance? I would love to see what she looks like, I bet she looks just like you." Callie answered without hesitation.

"She is three. She will be four in October. And yeah the lawyer sent one. She's gorgeous. I don't know a thing about her." Callie got the picture from under the envelope and passed it to Sam who passed it to Spike and looked over his shoulder. Spike had gone curiously quiet. Callie was a little concerned but She knew internally that he needed time to process the news. She hugged him tightly while whispering that she was sorry.

"Callie, listen to me alright? You have NOTHING to be sorry for. Do you understand me young Lady? NOTHING! None of this was your fault. That prick hurt you in a way that no one should ever be hurt. The fault is HIS. Does the prosecutor know about this information?" Callie shook her head. Spike picked up her phone and thrust it at her with a raised eyebrow. Callie rolled her eyes and nodded.

"I know I have a couple calls to make. I have to call the Prosecutor and I have to call the lawyer. I'm supposed to call him when I recieve the letter and meet with him that day. I am supposed to take immediate custody of my daughter." Callie gave a little laugh as she said that, the reality that she was actually going to get to meet her daughter for the first time finally nearly four years after she should have.

Spike and Sam went downstairs to give her privacy to make her calls. Spike looked in need of a good stiff drink. Sam was willing to oblige him and got him a small glass with some vodka, only a little bit. Spike gulped it down and shook his head at the offer of another glass. He needed to be clear headed to help his daughter. Drinking would only invite problems that they didn't need to deal with at the moment.

Sam gave him a hug and told him to call if he needed anything at all and he would be there immediately. He then slipped out the door with the promise that he wouldn't tell anyone until Callie told them herself. Spike sat at the table with a cup of coffee. After a few minutes, Callie came thundering down the stairs. She grabbed herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Spike. She looked at him and noticed that he looked older. She felt a little guilty at having caused him so much grief.

"Dad. I have an appointment with the lawyer in 2 hours. I need to get cleaned up and Dressed appropriately. Are you going to go into the office with me? After I meet with the lawyer and meet Amelia, I have to meet with the prosecutor. I told him there was a new development in my case and I really had to meet with him today. He cleared his calendar. I am going to go upstairs to gather some nice clothes and get showered."

After she ran upstairs, Spike had another cup of coffee before running upstairs and knocking on Callie's door. Callie yelled for him to come in. She was in her closet looking for an appropriate skirt and blouse. She was thinking yellow. It wasn't too dull and it wasn't too outrageous. She was pulled from her thoughts by Spike clearing his throat. She poked her head out to see him standing there with his phone.

"What about your grandparent's? We need to let them know and you know that. We need to drop this on them before we pick up Amelia. I'm going to call them and have them come over while you shower. I will tell them for you, but you know they will want to speak to you. Grandma is going to love you even more than she already does. You are giving her a Great Granddaughter. Dad's going to be happy as well. Get your shower and get changed." Callie nodded and held up her Yellow Skirt and Yellow short sleeve sweater.

Spike nodded and pointed to the door. Callie got the message. Get your shower and hurry up. She left her clothes out on the bed and grabbed her bathrobe before throwing a pair of clean underwear and pantyhose on the pile. She closed her door and quickly undressed, hurrying upstairs to her bathroom to shower. She set a new record getting her hair washed and scrubbed up before getting out drying off and throwing her hair up in a towel and hurrying down to her room.

She heard Spike yell up to her as she walked down the hall that her grandparents were there and she stopped to sit on her bed before getting dressed. Truth be told, she was scared. She was scared that she would get there and it be a cruel joke. She was also scared that she wouldn't know the first thing about parenting. But then, she reasoned, if Spike could learn on the fly, she could too. With that thought in mind, she quickly got dressed, before quickly throwing her hair in a french braid.

She walked downstairs with her heels in her hand and her purse with the letter and everything that she would need to take with her. She took several deep breaths as she walked, intent on not being scared. She looked for Spike, who was in the kitchen. She smiled at her grandparents who were looking at her in a mild state of shock. Callie closed her eyes a moment before smiling at them again.

"Hi Grandma. Hi Grandpa. How are you both today?" She sat down and put her heels on before sitting back and accepting a glass of juice from Spike. They made small talk for awhile before Spike went up to get a quick shower and get dressed. They were talking quietly and Spike's parents were admiring the photo of Amelia that Callie had. Spike put his hands on Callie's shoulders drawing her attention.

"Callie. We had better leave if we are going to get to the Lawyer's office on time. we have several places to be after that. Mom, Dad, we will stop by later tonight. I love you guys. Callie, you have everything that you need?" Callie nodded and hugged her grandparents again before hurrying out the door and to the truck. Spike followed his parents out and set the alarm before shutting the door.

Author's note #2:

I was going to wait to post this until I had chapter 30 written and was halfway done with 31, but I thought that would be cruel and I have already made you, my faithful readers and reviewers wait for THIS chapter for over a month. Enjoy. =)


	30. Chapter 30

Author's note:

I love writing this story, More importantly I LOVE the reviews I get for it! I am trying to write as much as possible, I am issuing a mild kleenex alert. You might need one. I cried a little while writing the chapter.

Anytime You need a Friend

Chapter 30:

Callie was quiet on the ride to the Lawyers office. So was Spike. Neither one knew what to say to the other. Callie knew that Spike was thinking about the events of that day on the bridge that had brought him to Callie and them both to this very point. She silently berated herself for never having mentioning that she had a daughter before now. She knew that she could not get the years back, nor would she want to really. The time spent growing up apart from her daughter had helped shape her life.

"Callie, I am not angry with you. I'm surprised and sadened for you that you are only now getting to know your daughter when you should have had her with you from the begining of her life. Circumstances are what they were and I think you are probably better able to deal with raising her now than you would have been when you were 12 or when I rescued you." He smiled at her before continuing.

I don't know what else to say, other than I know that you will learn fast, and will be fine. I do know that I will be there to help you. Everyone will be. Even Marcus and Elieen if you want them. Speaking of them, you are going to have to let them know that they have a great granddaughter. Just saying." Callie smiled and nodded. She felt better knowing that she would have a strong support system.

"I know Dad. I admit I am scared. What if Amelia doesn't like me or puts up a fuss having to go with a couple of strangers? What if I really can't hack raising her and going to School? I DON'T want to drop out of high school. I have a good shot of going to college. It would be all paid for. It would be wrong of me to take custody and then foist her off on you or grandma and grandpa. I can't do it." Spike pulled the truck over and hit the brakes.

"Now, you listen to me. You are going to finish School. You are going to go to College. My granddaughter is NOT going to suffer in any way shape or form. I will make sure of that. You may have to curtail some of your activities, but we will make a life for her. Don't worry, everything will turn out as the Good Lord intended it to turn out. Have faith." Callie nodded and pointed at her watch. Spike pulled the truck back into traffic.

After a few more minutes of driving, they reached the Lawyer's office. Before stepping out, Callie took a very deep breath and reached into her purse to make sure she had the stuffed teddy bear that she had carried with her everyday since giving birth to Amelia. She was scared and praying to God that Amelia would like her and not turn away from her. She gave herself a mental shake and strode into the front door of the Lawyers office.

"Welcome to The Law Firm of Powers and associates, may I help you Young lady? Sir?" The receptionist asked politely smiling at them both from behind her desk pausing from typing something at her computer. Callie smiled back at her and stuck out her hand for a handshake. The girl looked surprised and confused before accepting the shake smiling as well. Callie liked this girl and her professionalism.

"Yes Please, you can. I am here to see Attorney Mike Powers. I have an appointment with him this Afternoon at 2pm. My name is Callesandra Marie Scarlatti. It is in reference to a personal matter. I happen to be a little early, I hope that's alright. This is my Father, Michaelangelo Scarlatti, He is with me." The girl nodded approvingly at Callie's manners and smiled at them both.

"Yes! He told me to expect you both. I am to have you sit over there and he will be with you very shortly. Would either of you like coffee or anything else to drink? Just a moment please while I answer this call." She turned away to answer the ringing phone, and Callie sat down on a couch, primly crossing her legs at the ankles. Spike sat in a chair nearby. He idly flipped through a magazine, before turning his phone off.

The secretary left her desk and came back with two bottles of water which she gave to Callie. The girl murmured that it would only be about ten minutes and went back to her desk. Callie thanked her and passed one to her father before settling back in the chair. Callie did some seriously praying while waiting. She knew one way or another, she was walking out of the office today with her daughter.

"Mr. and Ms. Scarlatti, he will see you now. Please come with me, his office is down this hallway." The secretary led them down a hall past a ornate fountain. Callie briefly admired it before quickly resuming her path catching up to the secretary and her father, who were in deep animated conversation. Spike wasn't giving any details, instead asking how she liked working in a law office.

She knocked on a beautifully carved mahogany door with a silver name plate on it, waiting for the reply from within before opening the door. Standing up from behind the desk, a middle aged gentleman walked around, shaking first Spike's hand, before pressing his lips to Callie's hand, who blushed. He thanked the secretary asking her to hold his calls while they discussed business matters.

"Callessandra, we finally get to meet. Or do you prefer Callie? I am so sorry that it took nearly three weeks to get in touch with you. Who is this young man?" Callie smiled. She introduced her father to Mike before they got down to business. He offered them coffee which Spike accepted. Callie asked for some cold water. He obliged and then got out a file from his briefcase. He quickly opened it and put his glasses on.

"Ok. Now. I have statements here from Kayla and Sidney, attesting to the fact that Amelia Addison Sanchez is in fact your biological daughter. These statements have been notarized and are public record. I also have a statement from Kayla which contains information about how they came to raise Amelia after she was born. Would you please tell me what you feel comfortable with so I can verify?" Callie nodded.

"I was 12, my adoptive father, Mr. Sanchez, had been molesting me since I was approximately 9 years old. He raped me for the first time when I was 12. By that I mean he penetrated me for the first time. I went to the doctor roughly 3 months after that night because od really bad stomach pains and the doctor confirmed my pregnancy at that appointment." Callie took a deep breath and continued.

"His wife, my adoptive mother, talked with the doctor and it was agreed on that I was to carry the child until she was born, and then she would be given up for adoption. I was told that I would be keeping her and that they would help me raise her. I never got to hold her, Never got to name her, was never allowed to see her, all of this on the Sanchezes orders." Callie dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

She told Mike several other things about the abuse and about living with the Sanchezes, which only she and Kayla would have probably known. Mike nodded his head several times, making notes in the folder. Finally he raised his hand silencing her. He said that he needed to make a call, picked up his phone and made a quick phone call. After he was done, he smiled at Callie and then at Mike.

"I see. I have just a few questions for you, I am sorry but they must be asked. Why did you not bring this to anyone's attention before I contacted you? Why did you not try to get your daughter back from Kayla and Sidney?"Callie looked right at him. She was about to break her silence on something that no one but her and Kayla knew about. She was sure that Sidney knew but she was ok with that.

"I was put into a psychiatric hospital for 3 months after I gave birth. Because I kept screaming at the Sanchezes that they had no right to take my daughter from me. They did it to show that I was depressed and psychotic and unfit to raise Amelia. It worked in their favor. The adoption went through and because I was in the hospital, my maternal rights were circumvented, also because I was a minor."

"I actually got to meet my daughter once when she was about two years old. I ran into Kayla at the store when Mr. Sanchez had sent me in for some groceries. She had Amelia with her. I knew that she and Sidney had adopted her, and for that I was grateful. It meant that I might possibly get to see her on occasion. I got to touch her. She was fussy, so I didn't pick her up. But I have carried that feeling with me ever since, daring to hope beyond hope that someday I might hold her."

Mike pushed the box of Kleenex over to her, which she took several of. Spike held her hand, being the tower of strength that she knew he would be. Callie had almost forgot that he was even in the room. She was grateful for his presence. She looked back up at Mike who was looking back at her. She was hoping that she would see Amelia soon, she didn't know how much longer she could hold it together.

"Callie. I didn't even ask you about the hospital stay. Thank you for being comfortable telling me. I made that phone call to let Childrens Services know that they needed to get Amelia ready and bring her here. I am turning her over to you. You deserve to take your daughter home with you tonight. You are also the sole beneficiary of Kayla and Sidney's house. They left a trust for Amelia that you will have access to for her care obviously. No one has been there to pack their stuff." Callie nodded.

"I don't think I am going to be able to handle taking care of that today. Maybe next month. I am very overwhelmed right now. This is all alot to take in right now. For now I want to meet my daughter and take her home. We will probably swing by Kayla's house and pick up her stuff tomorrow." Mike nodded at her and called his secretary to come copy the entire file for Callie's records. He handed her a sealed envelope.

"This contains all the things for Amelia that you should need right now. Allergies, medical reports, Social Security Card, etc. We are going to have to schedule a meeting for next week probably to meet again and go over more information. I think for now I have filled your head with enough stuff. Children's Services should be here anytime. I understand that you are still in High school. That will not be a problem. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and a strong network of support."

Callie almost wept in relief. She got up to pace a little bit before asking where the ladies room was. The lawyer explained and she quickly went to the restroom before coming back and settling down to wait. She was excited and reached into her purse for the teddy bear. She was about to ask again how much longer when the door flew open and slammed against the wall. Mike jumped up with a frown.

"I demand to know why I was not informed of this meeting. I have every right to be here to stop you from making an extremely large error Mr. Powers. I don't care what Kayla and Sidney's will supposedly says. That little witch is not going to get custody of that sweet child over my dead body!" Callie closed her eyes briefly before looking at the newcomer. Mrs. Sanchez. Callie had had enough of her.

Mike ushered her into his office, telling her to sit down. Once the door was closed again, he sat behind his desk once more. Callie kept her eyes trained on either the floor or Mike. She did not dare look at Mrs. Sanchez because she knew that if she did, she was going to reach over and hit her. Spike reached over and grabbed her hand and squeezed letting her know that he was there for her.

Before Mike could say anything to the newcomer, who was glaring daggers at Callie and Spike, the secretary knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer. Mike looked up at her and sighed. This day just kept getting better and better. He looked at her, standing there waiting for his attention. He looked at her. He needed a vacation in a really big way. He waved her in.

"I'm Sorry to bother you Mr. Powers, but Adele from Children's Services is here with Amelia." Mike nodded, thanked her and told her to send them in immediately. She nodded, opened the door wider, allowing an older women and a toddler to pass through. The toddler looked around smiled at everyone and promptly sat on the couch that was in the room, and began to cuddle with her stuffed toy that she had with her.

Callie smiled at the sight before turning around and looking at her father. He looked enraptured with Amelia, and who could blame him. She was gorgeous in person. She had light brown, curly hair that Adele had put back with a headband. She was dressed in a little green dress and black Mary Janes. Her eyes, though she couldn't see them clearly, looked to be green. She turned to Adele who was standing there uncertainly.

"Hi. I am Callesandra Marie Scarlatti. I am Amelia's birth mother." She said quietly so as to not upset Amelia who was looking at her in wonder. She waved her fingers at her and Amelia giggled. Adele smiled and shook her hand. Callie turned again to Spike, who was still looking at Amelia. She sighed.

"Dad? DAD? Why don't you and Adele take Amelia here for a walk and get to know her? Mrs. Sanchez and I need to have a few words privately. Don't you think so, Mrs. Sanchez?" Spike took one look at Callie, and saw his mother's anger in her eyes. He nodded and squatted down to Amelia's level and picked her up after a moment. He and Adele walked out the door. After the door was shut, Callie turned to Mrs. Sanchez.

Author's note #2

So Apparently this chapter was MUCH easier to write. Also as a small added bonus... Since this site does not allow lists as a story, I have comprised a list of possible story Titles... If you want some possible titles for future stories, Please PM me (Do not review and ask) And I will send you the list.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's note:

I wanted to make the option of leaving me reviews from people who didn't have an account open so they could. I have gotten several reviews from people that were nothing but hurtful, so I have decided to turn the option off. If you have no account but want to leave me a review, get an account. Blame the rude people for making me do this.

Anytime you need a friend

Chapter 31

Mike looked first at Callie who was standing at the door and then at Mrs. Sanchez, who was sitting in the chair, looking very prim and proper and avoiding Callie's stare. Mike had dealt with Mr and Mrs. Sanchez when Callie was born and they were adopting her from Alessandra. Had he known that Mr. Sanchez was going to be abusing her, he would have pulled every manuever possible to stop the adoption that he could have.

He motioned for Callie to sit down on the couch and called his secretary on the phone. When she answered, he gave her a very brief message and hung up, turning back to the two women to try and diffuse the situation. He didn't think though that he was going to be able to diffuse the situation. Callie looked good and pissed. Mrs. Sanchez looked irritated, less so than Callie. Mike was just praying that they didn't come to blows.

"I do not see why I am still here, nor do I see why you allowed that man to go with Amelia. It is inappropriate. Who is to say that he won't kidnap her for some disgusting reason. I demand that you send someone after them immediately and retrieve my neice immediately. I expect to be notified when I can take her home finally. She needs to be home with family." She got up and turned to leave. Callie didn't move from the door.

Mike Sighed and rolled his eyes. Gloria, in his opinion was a world class uptight bitch that thought the entire world owed her everything. She had no use for people unless they could do something for her. If you could do nothing for her, she let you know it. She came from money, and had the attitude to show it. He didn't want to tell her what he really thought of her because his business depended on it.

"Gloria, I know Mr. Scarlatti. We went to high school and College together. He's an upstanding citizen. He's not about to be a monster and hurt a child. Not like your husband has repeatedly done. Yes, I know all about the crimes that he has committed and been charged with. Whenever a case comes my way or someone wants to retain my services, I run a check of every single person that happens to be involved." He went on before she could open her mouth.

"He is a member of the Police Strategic Response Unit, and a good man. I trust him, and obviously Callie does as well. But of course you wouldn't care much about that now would you? He can't do anything for you other than diffuse a bomb if you had one." Mike decided that he really didn't care if his business here in Toronto dried up because Gloria put out the word not to use his services. He would go elsewhere if need be.

Callie stood there and watched Gloria as she paced around the room with a sour expression on her face. Callie rolled her eyes. She took a drink of water and thought to herself. Callie did not deserve to raise that child. She was a careless, thoughtless girl who had been very bad. Why else would her husband have done what he did? He only did it to keep her in line. Besides, she would have gotten knocked up anyway. Her husband did her a favor. That in mind, she set her glass down and walked to the door.

"Sit down please. I think that the two of us really need to have a talk. Don't you?"Mrs. Sanchez looked confused. She gave a laugh and waved her aside, intending on walking out the door. Callie didn't move. She silently pointed to the chair that Mrs. Sanchez had risen from and held her gaze daring her to not believe her. Mrs. Sanchez merely looked at her. Callie held her gaze not even wavering.

"I said sit. I won't ask again. I don't beg. That is the only thing that I can thank you for." Mrs. Sanchez raised her hand. Callie didn't flinch from the possible threat. She knew that she was not about to hit Mrs. Sanchez. If any marks were going to be seen by the Police, they would all be on Callie as proof. She had a witness, and her father could arrest her. She was not about to act like she was afraid. She didn't cower anymore.

"I do not have to listen to you. I am your mother. You listen to me. Get out of my way now or I will tell Mike everything that I am sure that you were too bashful to mention because you think you deserve to raise Amelia. You deserve nothing. You ungrateful little bitch!" Callie didn't move but only held up her hand to block any hits. Mike watched in apprehension as Gloria struck Callie hard across the face.

"You are not my mother. My mother is dead. You and your husband were just two people who took me in so I didn't have to languish in Foster Care. Well I didn't expect to be abused either. I did not expect your husband to rape me repeatedly, nor did I expect you to cover for him like you have all these years. You knew about everything that he did and you still covered it up." Callie didn't touch her but got in her face.

"You tore my daughter out of my arms the second she was born. I never got a chance to say goodbye. You paid everyone off so no one would help me when I told. Well guess what, My father believed me. The Police Strategic Response Unit believed me, the prosecutor believed me and so did Kayla and Sidney. Yeah they knew. That's why they made damned sure that I would get Amelia back in the event of their deaths."

Callie had backed Mrs. Sanchez up to the couch until her legs hit it and she fell down with a thump on the couch. Callie Still didn't let up on her verbal assault. She pulled up a chair and sat near but not touching Mrs. Sanchez. She glanced at Mike who was leaning against his desk silently applauding her. She still had so many things that she wanted to say to Mrs. Sanchez before she asked Mike to call the police.

"Let me make something perfectly crystal clear to you, Gloria. I want you out of my life and my daughter's life. You are never getting Amelia. She is MY daughter. Not yours. You have no more claim to her than a mouse has to an elephant. Do you understand? I will block every attempt that you try to make to see her, to talk to her, to know her. You are NOTHING to either of us. You will have NO chance to wreck her life like you did mine." Callie backed away from her as the door to Mike's office opened.

Spike came in. He had a question for Callie, he took one look at Callie's red, angry face and turned and walked right back out without asking the question, letting her handle whatever was happening in that office. He only hoped that Mrs. Sanchez was finally getting what was due to her. Lord knew that she deserved it. Callie had spent some time telling him one night about her role in all of the abuse. Strangely, she hadn't wanted Gloria arrested. It still boggled his mind.

"Mike, would you please call the police. I want to make a statement of complaint against Mrs. Sanchez as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. I should have done it a long time ago but I didn't and I have to own that mistake. But I am here now and I am doing it." Mike nodded as Mrs. Sanchez stood up. She moved to the door and started to open it. Callie remained where she was not even attempting to stop her.

"You have absolutely no evidence of my alleged part in any of this whole charade. You will be hearing from my attorney, as soon as I find one with an actual set of balls, and who isn't afraid to do what I ask them to do. Amelia will be coming home with me soon enough. It is the only logical solution." Mrs. Sanchez started to walk out the door when Mike spoke up stopping her and Callie both in their respective tracks.

"That is actually where you are wrong. I have plenty of evidence. I have signed statements from Kayla and Sidney both, about what they both witnessed you and your husband doing to Callie. I don't know why no one had reported you or removed Callie from your care when she was a little girl, but I do know that she is the last girl you or your husband will ever abuse." Mike picked up the phone and told his secretary to send the police in.

After the cops took Gloria away, Callie ran out of the office to the bathroom, presumably to throw up. Mike admired her strength and ability to keep thriving, even through all of the hurt and pain that she had been through. If anyone deserved to be angry and bitter at the world, it would be Callie. But she wasn't, someday he'd ask her why. His office door opened and Adele and Spike brought Amelia in.

"Hi unka mike! I have a friend!" Amelia was perched on Spike's shoulder and leaned forward to yell. Right in Spike's ear. Spike winced. Mike laughed and held out his arms. Amelia shook her head and kept poking Spike in the ear. She was fascinated with ears. Spike smiled and set her down and she sat on his feet pulling his shoelaces. Spike looked at Mike. He had seen Callie leave the office and was not about to run after her. She could handle things. She would come to him later.

"Where did Callie happen to get off to Mike? I assume that Mrs. Sanchez has been- umm- detained by the officers?" Mike nodded and mentioned that Callie left to use the bathroom. More likely to cry and let everything out before holding her daughter than to freshen up. They talked briefly while waiting for Callie. Mike gave Amelia a ball to roll around on the floor and Spike sat down to play with her.

"Sorry I had to use the restroom. Thank you Dad for looking after Amelia. Was she good?" Spike gave her a look like duh and stood back up and sat on the couch. Callie smiled at Amelia who waved at her shyly. She walked over to Spike who was sitting next to Callie on the couch and climbed up in his lap leaning against him trustingly. She was the spitting image of Callie. She had an inquisitive look on her face.

"Pita who's that lady?" Callie gave her father a look that clearly said, pita? Really? Spike smiled at her and laughed for a moment. He shrugged one shoulder and smiled at Amelia. Callie stopped him before he could say a word. She didn't want to know. She held her hand out to Amelia. Who took it and inspected it.

"Well, Ms. Amelia. My name is Callie. Would you like to come live with me and my dad, that is uh, Pita? We can get your toys from home and play at my house. Is that ok with you?" She shot her father an evil look and was about to ask if she wanted to come sit on her lap when Amelia covered her face with both hands as only a toddler can and squealed.

"Mommy Kayla told me about you. She said you're my other mommy! She was watching me for you." She launched herself into Callie's open arms. Callie sat there on the floor of the lawyer's office, tears coursing down her face as she cried. Spike was willing to admit that as he watched his daughter and grand daughter bond, he cried too. After several minutes, Amelia patted Callie's cheeks.

"Why are you crying Mommy? Do you have a boo-boo? I can kiss it and it will feel better. That's what mommy Kayla always told me." Callie about lost it. She laughed a little bit trying not to cry again. She didn't want to tell Amelia the disturbing stuff and figured that she would when Amelia got older, if she came asking questions. Otherwise, she would say nothing about it. She looked at Adele who was standing talking to Mike.

"Can we take her home now please? This day has been extremely exhausting and I just, I want to bond with my daughter. Please." Adele nodded. They set up an appointment for the following week for a home visit to see how Amelia was settling in and Mike handed over the keys to Kayla and Sidney's home. Callie mentioned that they were going over there later that afternoon and get Amelia's things. Adele went outside with them to get the Car seat that they could use for her and saw them on their way.

As they drove, Callie made a list of what she would need to still do. She rescheduled the meeting with the Prosecutor for the next week as well as pick up everything from Kayla and Sidney's house. She listened to Amelia's chatter and smiled back at her. She looked at Spike who looked very comfortable driving with a chatty toddler in the backseat. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Dad? Thank you for taking me there and for not turning away from me. I am so sorry that I didn't tell you about her sooner. I was told that I would be arrested if I uttered a single word. I couldn't ignore the fact that I had a daughter being raised by someone else any longer. I deserve to raise her. I want to spare her as much pain as possible." Spike smiled and patted her hand. He turned his eyes to the rearview mirror to see Amelia sleeping in the carseat.

"Why would I have turned away from you? I am just glad that you have her back now. What do you say that we stop by the grocery store and get food and then invite everyone over for a barbecue? You need to introduce Amelia to everyone and I have to gloat that now I have two girls to love. How does that sound to you?" Callie nodded and fished around for a pen and paper to make up a list real fast.

Author's Note #2

So Sorry about the really lousy updates. I suffered a fall and severely sprained both wrists. So for a couple weeks it was REALLY painful to do anything. I was also helping out with a family member that is really ill.


	32. Chapter 32

Author's note:

Hey everyone I apology for the crappy updates. I needed to take a break from writing to mourn my nephew who passed away in early May. And I needed to get my muse back- But I am mostly back now and I am going to be wrapped up this story soon. I MIGHT write a sequel, I might just write a different story. I don't know yet. =)

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 32

Grocery shopping with Amelia was definitely an adventure. At least that's what Spike thought. Callie went off to get her half of the shopping list. She also had to ask a salesperson about what kind of stuff would be best for Amelia to eat. She intended on getting only a few items and was going to sit down with her grandma in the next couple days and get a crash course in what a child should be eating.

Before she left, She found that she was reluctant to hand Amelia over to her father. She had to force herself to hand her over. She knew that she was just scared that Amelia would be kidnapped, But she also knew that Spike would watch out for her. After she handed her over and watched Spike put her in the cart, she handed over the bag that the social worker had packed for her.

"Dad? I will meet you in the book section in 30 minutes ok? Don't go wild and buy everything in the store for Amelia. I mean it. We will sit down later and figure out what she still needs after we go through Kayla and Sidney's house and get her things. Love you sweetie, I gotta go shopping, are you sure you can keep Pita in line?" Amelia giggled and clapped her hands together. Spike made a shooing motion and went in the opposite direction.

Spike had offered to take Amelia with him while he shopped and listened to her chatter while he picked out meat and stuff, because he knew that Callie still needed to process things. He found keeping up a steady conversation with her not much of a challenge, as she was very curious and talkative. Amelia started to fuss a little bit and Spike picked her up and bounced her a little, like he'd seen Ed do with Izzy. He hoped that it would calm her down.

"Pita? Pita? PITA, You aren't listening to me, I'm TRYING to tell you something!." Spike felt a tug on his ear and it hurt. He set Amelia on the carts seat and took her chin in his hand gently. She looked at him with a look that scarily reminded him of Ed's best scowl. He mentally shivered and raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled up at him and kicked her feet. Spike tried hard to be stern.

"Amelia. It is not nice to grab people and hurt them. Do you understand me? Now, what did you want?" Amelia rolled her eyes and sighed. She merely pointed to Spike's feet and Spike followed her finger. His shoe's were untied. He set her down and quickly retied his shoes. He poked her belly, listening to her squeal. He laughed along with her. While he shopped, Amelia fell asleep in the seat, making it a little easier to finish.

When he was finished, He made his way to the books section and saw he was first to arrive. He parked it and looked at the children's books. He picked out a few Dr. Suess books and put them in the cart. He looked at Amelia and wondered how he managed to get so lucky. He had a daughter and a Grand Daughter. He wouldn't have wanted either of them to enter the world the way they had, but he wouldn't change a thing.

"Pita? 'M thirsty. Juice please?" He pulled his mind back to the present and saw Amelia had woken up and was looking at him intently. He could see Callie in her face. He smiled and fished around in the bag to find her juice. He handed her the sippy cup and listened to her slurp. His phone rang. He picked it up and didn't recognize the number. He shushed Amelia and answered it.

"Hello, Mike Scarlatti Speaking, Who is this please?" The voice on the other end sounded old. It took Spike a moment to place it. After a minute he did place it, It was Marcus, Callie's grandfather on her mother's side. He thought quickly and realized that Callie hadn't called them in a couple weeks.

"Mike? This is Marcus, Callie's Grandfather. I'm calling to see how Callie is doing. We haven't heard from her in awhile and we were a little curious." Spike closed his eyes briefly. Callie had been doing pretty good, keeping to a calling schedule, but she had missed the past two weeks, but never said why. Spike made a mental note to talk to Callie about it. She didn't have to love her mother's grandparents, but she did have to treat them with respect.

"Yes. She hasn't called anyone for a while. She wasn't feeling well, though I assumed that she had called you and Eileen. I will make sure she calls you both soon. She's doing well, Loves school and working at the station. How are you and Eileen doing? I hope you are both well." Spike could see Callie round the corner and waved at her, holding up a finger while listening to Marcus talk.

"That's fine. I need to be going though, Eileen is in bed and I am heading there myself. Could you have Callie call us this weekend if she has time please? We'd really appreciate it." Spike said that he would and they hung up. He looked at Callie who kissed Amelia on the head and smiled at him.

"Callie, Call your grandparents this weekend. Please stop forgetting to do so. Let's compare carts and get going, We have like three hours before everyone will be over to the house for the barbeque, We need to pick up some stuff from Kayla and Sidney's house for Amelia, and get the groceries home." Callie nodded and they went through the check out and loaded the groceries into the SUV.

They made a really fast stop at Kayla's house and found a couple suitcases of Amelia's clothes packed already. Callie was VERY thankful for this and made the decision that they would move all of the stuff out of the house and to their house over the weekend. Maybe Spike's Parent's would be happy to watch Amelia while they did this. It would be a little easier to get things done if she wasn't underfoot.

After they got back to their house, Amelia sat on the couch and looked at the pictures in the Dr. Suess books while Spike and Callie unloaded the groceries and put them away. After a few minutes, Callie took the suitcases up to her room and set them on her bed. Amelia slowly followed her up the stairs with Spike behind her, holding her hand and chattering away some nonsense to her.

"Mommy? Where's Mr. Bug? I miss him. That lady wouldn't let me find him when she came to pick me up." Callie raised an eyebrow and shrugged at a loss because she didn't know what the toy looked like. She opened the first suitcase and found it was full of toys. Now she was definitely thankful. On top was a stuffed Bear. She picked it up and set it aside. Amelia Squealed and grabbed the toy.

"MR. BUG!" She hugged it tightly and roamed through Callie's room while Callie discussed with Spike what room to put her in. They decided the Room that was just down the hall from Callie's was perfect, It was big but not too big to imtimidate her. It was already painted a soft yellow so they only had to move in Amelia's Stuff. For tonight though, Amelia would sleep in Callie's bed and Callie would sleep on the couch.

Just then the doorbell rang. Spike left to answer it and Amelia Conitued to wander around the room. She found the crayons and Paper that Callie had bought awhile ago and sat down to color while Callie sifted through the rest of the clothes, while keeping an eye on her. She found several changes and some night clothes. She made a note to call tomorrow and found out who might have packed them .

"Mommy? I love you! Will you color with me? Here, color the animals." Amelia looked at her, brushing hair out of her face. Callie sat down with her on the floor and colored, in between just looking at her, still in awe that she was finally able to bond with her. She knew that Amelia was just like she was when she was little, Bossy. She grew out of it a little and hoped Amelia would as well.

"I love you too Sweetie. Do you want to go downstairs and see who came over? I bet it is someone awesome. You can bring Mr. Bug. Is that ok with you?" Amelia got up and ran to the door which was open. Callie held her hand as she walked down the stairs. When they hit the last step, Amelia jumped off the last step. Callie saw Sam sitting at the table, reading the paper. She went over to him and gave him a hug.

"Hi Sam! How are you? Anything interesting in the paper today?" She hugged him when he stood up. After he sat down again, Callie got some juice and sat down. Spike was in the bathroom and Amelia was hiding behind Callie, looking at Sam warily. Sam winked at her, eliciting a giggle from her before looking back at Callie. Amelia watched Sam for a minute, deciding if he was safe.

"She's a cutie. Congratulations. She's also going to be a heart breaker when she's older." They talked for a few more minutes before Amelia inched over to Sam little by little. She was very shy. She held out her sippy cup for more juice and Callie filled it up. Finally Amelia touched Sam's knee and giggled when he jumped. She struggled to get up in his lap, before he helped her a little bit.

"Callie, The others will be here shortly. I'm going to go make sure the grill is clean and that we have enough Propane. That's the one thing I forgot to check before we left." Spike tweaked Amelia's nose as he walked by, drawing a laugh from her. She swatted at his hands missing him by a mile.

"Pita! I have another friend! I'm making Lots of friends!" Sam smirked at the nickname and looked at Spike who's face had a warning look on it. He smiled at him, deciding to wait to use his new ammunition at the right time. Spike smiled and nodded at her.

"I see that sweetie. Has he told you his name yet?" Amelia nodded enthusiastically while bouncing in Sam's lap, drawing a wince from Sam. Spike smiled devilishly at him and looked at Amelia, decided that he too, had ammo to use. It was the nature of their friendship. They dug at each other whenever they could.

"His name is Spam? Yeah that's what he said!" She said uncertainly looking at Sam. Spike howled in laughter. Sam Scowled at him, while Amelia laughed in delight and continued to bounce. Callie couldn't keep a straight face either. She placed a hand on her shoulder getting her to stop bouncing.

"Amelia, His name is Sam, not Spam. You can call him Uncle Sam or just Sam. I'm sure he doesn't mind. Do you Sam?" Sam shook his head and tickled Amelia, who settled against his chest and snuggled in. Sam looked very at home with a baby in his arms. Callie could just see him holding his own child.

"Not at all, You can call me Uncle Sam. I don't mind Amelia. Spike, do you need help with the grill?" Spike nodded his head and Sam set Amelia down on the floor and stood up, Amelia hurried after him. He turned around looked at Callie, before putting a hand on her head and turning her around.

"Amelia, Uncle Sam and Pita have to go mess with the grill so we can eat. You are too young to help, so you can stay in here with me for now. How about you help me set the stuff on the table ok?" Amelia nodded and tugged on her arm urgently.

"Mommy, I have to GO!" Callie showed her where the potty was and waited outside the door for her to finish. While she waited, she heard Sophie call out that she was there. Callie Smiled and answered her. When Amelia finished, she followed Callie into the dinning room. Sophie, having already been told the story of Amelia, was not surprised to see her and gave her a little wave, before handing her a stuffed toy.

"Hi there. You must be Amelia. Pita has told me so much about you. You're cute. Hey Callie, Congratulations. Spike told us about the circumstances. If you need or want help, I will help along with everyone else. How are you adjusting?" Callie and Sophie settled in for a chat, while Amelia wandered off in search of her Pita.

The door was wide open, so she dragged Mr. Bug with her and saw Pita standing around waving something at a bald man. She ran over to see Pita and Uncle Sam, Who she decided that Spam was a better name anyway. She saw a lot of people that she didn't know, But she wanted Pita badly.

"Pita? PITA!" tugged on his pants leg to get his attention. Spike reached down without stopping his conversation with the bald man. She laid her head on his shoulder and heaved a great sigh pulling Mr. Bug up next to her face. She was happy. She had searched for him and found him. She heard the bald man clear his throat.

"Ok, really? She calls you Pita? Spike, what will all the ladies say? Hi Amelia, You are a cutie." Spike turned her around to see Ed while rolling his eyes at the other man. She hid her face before sneaking a peek at Ed, who pretended to not notice. But watched her out of the corner of his eye. He let his tongue sneak out before drawing it back.

"Amelia, This is Ed. Ed, she gave a scowl in the store earlier that reminded me of your best scowl. You want to say hi to him Amelia?" Amelia shook her head and laughed while kicking her leg. Spike bounced her a moment, While she played with his hair. She turned and looked at Ed who wasn't really paying attention.

"Hi. You look like a scary dragon. They go RAWR!" She launched herself at him laughing when he jumped. He held her securely and she ran her hands over his head, laughing at the slight fuzz she felt there. He allowed her to feel his head, know that little kids were curious about his lack of hair. She squirmed to get down. Ed let her go turning to watch her run in the house. He turned to Spike again.

"She looks a little bit like you. Around the eyes, and the inquisitive nature. Be interesting to see what she's like when she grows up a little bit. A little scary to see she acts just like Callie. I'm sorry that her father is such a dick though. One more reason to extremely dislike him. You know, I could make a couple phone calls, everyone knows that he'd have a target on his back." Spike shook his head, knowing that Ed was joking.

Meanwhile, Amelia had come outside with Callie close behind. She made the rounds talking to people before coming over to Spike, Ed and Sam, Who were standing around looking serious. Callie hurried over and looked for Amelia who was no where to be seen. She was concerned. She tapped Spike on the shoulder.

"Dad, Where's Amelia? She not in the house." Spike pointed in the direction of the Backyard. Callie went around the house and saw the picnic tables, and Clark sitting there, coloring with Amelia. She was chattering away at him, and he was merely nodding. Callie smiled and went over. Amelia was trying to school Clark on his colors.

"Amelia I think I see your mommy. Hi Callie. Save me please. She's teaching me my colors. Bossy little thing. Don't know WHERE she could have learned that. How are you doing?" They talked for a few minutes before Spike Announced that the burgers and hot dogs were ready. Callie took Amelia and they all sat down to eat.


	33. Chapter 33

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 33

Callie walked towards town with Clark after school. They were going to get some pizza and then go to the station, but first, Callie had to pick up Amelia, who was in headstart. She wasn't going to put her in headstart at first, but she found that it did Amelia a world of wonder. She had friends that she ran inside every day to see. She liked her teacher and what she was learning. Callie had wrestled with it for awhile.

Spike was really pushing for her to start headstart. Actually everyone was pushing for it. Callie wanted to coddle her for as long as possible, but at the same time, she understood that Amelia needed her space. As they walked, Callie thought about when she took Amelia to sign her up. She got several looks when she stated that she was Amelia's mother and not her big sister. That alone prompted some explanation.

The teacher was very understanding and didn't judge her. She suggested that Callie try three days a week to start and go from there. After a month She had Amelia in Head Start all five days of the week from 11am until she got out of school at 2:30pm. That was only 3 and a half hours, but that was plenty for Callie for now. Over the summer, she would try to see if she could lengthen the hours.

Spike would take her to Headstart in the morning, and then go to work. It was Callie's responsibility to pick her up and then they would get a snack before heading either back to their house or to her grandparents House. Amelia usually prefered to go to Spike's parents house to play for a bit while Callie did her homework. She sometimes had her own homework to do, which Callie would help her with first.

When they got to the headstart building, Callie went in while Clark waited outside. Sometimes he would come in, other times not. This was one of those days where he was not coming in. Callie hurried to the room that Callie was in, to find that the class had a speaker. Callie looked a little longer and realized that it was Wordy. She smiled and motioned to the teacher who met her out in the hall.

"Hello Callie. How was School for you today? Amelia had a bit of a rough patch when she first got here. Separation anxiety with your father. It's very common and I think your father handled it nicely. He gave her a hug and told he would be back in a bit and after a few minutes she was good as new. She has a coloring, a couple matching, and a couple addition and subtraction worksheets to do. Also a permission slip for a trip to the Zoo." Callie nodded.

"Did you want me to get Amelia for you now Callie? We are having a fascinating Speaker today. He's really great with kids, really at ease around them, which is a great trait to have if you are a father, but I can pull her out if you like. She's really interested in what he's talking about. It's almost like she knows him but I can't imagine where she would have met him. I wonder if he's married." Callie shook her head and laughed.

"I know him. Kevin Wordsworth from the SRU, Team One. He works with my father, Constable Scarlatti. He's one of her honorary uncles. And Yes, He's happily married and has three little girls. His wife is very sweet and easy to talk to and get along with. No, you don't have to get her. I can wait. Anything else going on that I should be aware of? You seem a little distracted today." The teacher nodded and sighed.

"There's also a note in her bag, a request for a conference. Amelia got into a little fight with another little girl. The girl made some remarks about Amelia being trash because she had a whore for a mother. Amelia hit her and pulled her hair. The other girl has a request for conference as well. I would like it if you and her parents could come in at the same time. Only to clear the air."

Callie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She didn't realize that she might have to explain to people how Amelia came to be. Personally, she didn't see how it was anyone's business, but if Amelia was going to hit other people, then it had to be stopped. She nodded and sent a quick text to Clark to come in. While she waited for him, she consulted her planner. She looked back up at the teacher.

"I am available this afternoon if the other girls parents are available. We need to address this issue and Amelia needs to learn that no matter what people say, doesn't give her the right to hit other kids. I wonder where the other little girl learned a word like that anyway. Would you please let me know when they are available?" The teacher nodded and went off to call the mother while Callie waited in the hallway.

She Closed her eyes against the painful thought that Amelia would be judged because of what happened to Callie. She didn't want people to think badly of her or her daughter. It was not her fault nor was it Callie's fault that Sanchez was a rapist. However, people will always think what they want to think. You can't control everyone else's minds. She was pulled from her thoughts when the teacher returned.

"Callie? The other girls mother is on her way in to pick up her daughter and is willing to sit down with us immediately to take care of this issue. It's shouldn't take very long. Maybe about 15-20 minutes at the most. If not less. But it IS important to take care of it before anyone gets seriously hurt. " Callie nodded and turned to Clark who had come in and was leaning against one of the lockers.

"Clark, can you please keep an eye on Amelia for me when I have this conference? It should not take very long at all and I would really appreciate it if you would but I don't want you thinking that I am taking advantage of you and I know that you know and understand that. I love you sweetie, and Amelia likes you too." Clark rolled his eyes at her like he usually did, nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Like you would even need to ask. It's almost kinda like I'm watching Izzy for mom and dad, which I actually like. I will take her to the playground out back and chase her around for a little bit. That will give her something to squeal about. We'll have a great time together." Callie nodded and they made their way back inside the classroom as Wordy was wrapping up his talk and the kids were clapping.

"Hey Callie, Clark. I figured that I might run into you here. I can't stay for very long though, I have to be getting back to work in a couple minutes. The girls keep asking when Amelia can come over again to play. Call Shelly and set it up. We'd love to have her overnight." Wordy smiled, Hugged them both and took off. Callie was almost knocked over when Amelia came over and lauched herself at her.

"Hi Mommy! I saw Uncle Wordy today! Hi Clark!" Callie knelt down and kissed her cheek. Amelia laughed and ran off to get her bag and jacket. Clark went with her because she HAD to show him the class hamster. After the classroom emptied out a little bit, Callie was approached by the teacher and a young looking woman who held out her hand for a shake. Callie decided that she liked this woman.

"Ms. Scarlatti, I just want to say I am so very sorry that my daughter described you in that manner. I think she might have gotten it from her older sister, who, if I am not mistaken goes to the same school as you do, and has mentioned several times that she is no fan of yours, which I don't understand because I don't think you know each other. I will be having a chat with them both tonight. when we are all home." Callie nodded.

"Please call me Callie, and it's ok, I don't take offense to it. I am equally sorry that Amelia hit your daughter and pulled her hair. I will be talking to Amelia as well. While I understand her wanting to defend me, that's not how we solve problems in our house. She knows we talk about our problems. She has never had a problem doing that. I don't have a problem. I am not looking for punishment on either side. The girls are both young, They probably don't even know what the words mean." The other women nodded.

"I think that the reason that your daughter thinks I am a whore and trash is because she doesn't know the whole story. It is not something that I often talk about with people outside my family because I don't see how it would be anyone's business. My adoptive Father molested me for several years before raping me. That's how Amelia came into the world. It doesn't hurt me that she thinks of me like that. I've been called much worse." The teacher spoke up.

"I think that is the best for now. Talk to each girl and monitor the situation for awhile. I would hate to have to send either girl to a time out. I am glad that we could clear this up quickly. Maybe we should try to get them to do things together more often. I have another conference in 20 minutes that I have prepare for. Unless either of you have more questions." They parted ways and Callie went to the playground to see Clark Chasing Amelia around. She smiled.

They walked to the Pizza Parlor and instead of ordering in they decided to get some and walk over to the station to see everyone. They tried to have dinner there at least once a month. Amelia was beside herself with excitement. She got to see her favorite people. Jules fascinated her. She was beyond awed that Jules could do the things that Pita and everyone else could do, and she was a girl.

When they got there, Amelia went in and sat down next to Winnie, as she was taught to do in case the team was running around because of a call. No one wanted her to get hurt. After a few minutes, Callie came by and motioned to her. She shot out of the seat and flew by Callie straight into Greg's Legs. She stopped dead and looked at him. He smiled and moved his legs. She darted around him and made a beeline for Spike.

"PITA! PITA! SAVE ME!" Spike scooped her up and hugged her before giving her a kiss on the lips. She snuggled into his chest and giggled when he gasped because she was hugging him so tightly. She loved coming here to Pita's work and seeing where he worked.

"Save you from what exactly Amelia?" Amelia turned and pointed at Clark who sauntered in behind Callie and growled playfully at her while trying to grab her. Amelia shrieked and squeezed Spike around the neck again giggling loudly.

"He said he was going to gobble me! Don't let him! I don't want to be gobbled Pita! I don't think I taste very good." Spike started laughing and set her down in her seat, before sitting next to her. She sat down in the chair and watched everyone as they came into the room. After everyone was settled and had food, They dug in eating. After a few minutes, Amelia turned to Callie and said with complete seriousness.

"Mommy? What is a whore?" All of the conversations around the table stopped and everyone looked at Amelia first and then at Callie, who was was wiping her mouth with a napkin. She turned and looked at Amelia. She leaned towards her and pulled her close and hugged her before closing her eyes.

"That is a really nasty word that polite young ladies don't use. I know why you are asking and that girl was mean because she said nasty things about me. But I want you to understand that you were also in the wrong. Just because that little girl said those words does not mean that you have the right to hit her or pull her hair. Do you understand what I am saying Amelia?" Amelia nodded and went back to her Hot Dog.

"Uh, Callie. Care to elaborate? Needless to say, we are all a little baffled. Not to mention very curious." Spike asked catching her attention. Callie took another bite of pizza and nodded and held up a finger until she was done swallowing the bite of food. When she was done, She looked right at Spike.

"Amelia got a conference letter from her teacher because she hit another little girl and also pulled her hair. The reason why? Because that other little girl told my daughter that she was trash because she had a whore for a mother. I already met with the other girls mother and we settled it." She ate another bite of pizza.

No one said a word.


	34. Chapter 34

Author's note:

So I got the confirmation today that I was offered a job. I start June 12th. I willl have the weekends free, and will only have internet access during that time. I am going to try to get this story finished by that time, But I don't know yet. I will let you know before I leave.

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 34

Everything was going great. It was getting cooler out now, so hoodies and sweaters and jackets were making an appearance, even the occassional Scarf. It was late September and Callie was excited for this year of School. She was a Senior in High School after all. Surprisingly, she didn't care to go to parties all that much. She was trying to set a good example for Amelia. Next Fall she would be going to college.

She had started looking at colleges, deciding to forgo the whole living on Campus thing and figured that she would commute to college if she could so she could be at home for Amelia who was going to be going to pre-kindergarten. She would have longer days, but still needed someone around.

Spike was getting a lot of extra shifts in an effort to have enough to pay for Callie's College education and start saving for Amelia's. What he didn't realize was that Callie had more than enough money to pay completely for college. The only good thing that Callie could see from having been forced to service Sanchez's friends and being paid for it.

They had finally gone to Kayla and Sidney's house and emptied it out of everything that was Amelia's. It took several trips and the entire weekend to get everything. A lot of things they ended up giving to charity or putting in Storage until they could figure out what to do with the items. They set aside the items that had been specified for other people in the family and Callie had the lawyer get in touch with people.

Amelia had been very explicit in where she wanted her stuff in her new room. She didn't want it how it was set up at Kayla's house. Callie had decided that one of the other empty rooms would be used as a playroom where all of her extra toys and stuff were stored. She had a fairly large closet that was packed full of clothes. That was one thing that Callie was grateful for. Kayla and Sidney had not let Amelia go without. If anything, she had an excess.

She had so many toys and clothes and books that Callie couldn't help but feel partly jealous that she wouldn't be able to maintain that lifestyle for her, and also partly that Amelia might have been growing up spoiled. But Amelia didn't even care for a lot of the toys. She was very possessive of her books though. Callie could punish her by taking away a toy, no problem. However if she banned her from her books, she lost it.

That weekend, Callie decided that it was time to do some serious clothes weeding. Amelia had tons of Summer and Spring clothes, but not alot of Winter Clothes. Callie needed to put the Spring stuff away and make a list of what she needed to but for Amelia for the winter. Thank God they had the rooms on the Third floor for extra storage. Callie didn't want to think about what she would have done without it.

She also decided to take a look at her own closet. She found it funny, but Amelia had started wanting to dress like her. Today, Callie was wearing a black Sweater, Blue jeans and mismatched print socks. With her hair in a ponytail. Amelia was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans and mismatched solid socks. Callie was walking upstairs to see what Amelia was doing when her phone rang.

"Hi Dad. What's up?"

"Hey Callie. I just wanted to let you know that I am going out with the team after work tonight to the goose for a couple drinks. I didn't want you to worry when I didn't show up on time after work. Are you and Amelia going to be ok on your own. What are you making for dinner? You have the keys to the SUV right?" That was one of the awesome surprises of this past summer. Callie had finally gotten her driver's license.

"Yeah, We're good. I know you have not been out in a really long time, Have fun with that. I think I will make Brocoli and Carrots, with some Fish for Dinner. Along with Rice. If I need to go to the Store I will let you know. Any idea when you will be home?" She walked into Amelia's room to find her napping on the bed. She smiled and stepped out in the hall, leaving her door open a crack.

"That sounds like it will be really good, try to save me some. I don't know how late I will be. Not very, I'm sure. I want to be back before she goes to bed. What's Amelia doing?" Spike sounded like he was on Patrol. Probably paired with Sam again. Either that or Ed. The only people that she knew of that wouldn't mind if he made a phone call. She smiled at that thought. She thought for a minute before answering.

"She's sleeping in her bed. Must have just crashed. I decided that I am going to go through her closet and Pack her Spring and Summer clothes away and see what she needs for the winter. I know that she definitely needs a coat. and boots. and a hat and gloves. She'll need sweaters too. And I think More Pajama's." Spike was about to answer when the sound of them being toned out rang out.

"Gotta Go Sweetie. Give Amelia a kiss. Love you!" Spike hung up in her ear without waiting for a reply. Callie said a quick prayer and then went into Amelia's room. She was still sleeping. Callie got to work cleaning out her closet out. She was definitely starting to feel halfway through that Amelia was definitely Spoiled in the clothes department. She would definitely have to curb that.

She started noting sizes and realized that alot of the dresses and jeans were way too small, so they went into a pile on the floor for collection and drop off at a donation center. When everything was taken care of, she sat down and wrote out a list of what she needed. In addition to the winter coat, hat, mittens, and scarf and what not, Amelia also needed some more underwear and she also needed more jeans and Sweaters.

She checked her watch and saw that it was 5:30pm, Time to start dinner. She went downstairs and started to make dinner, knowing that when Amelia woke up, she'd make her way downstairs to the kitchen. She learned quickly that Amelia loved carrots and hated loved fish and Chicken as well. She also prefered White rice over the flavored kinds. While she cooked, she savored the quiet time.

She didn't mind giving up a lot of her quiet time in exchange for the chatter and noise of a 4 year old. She liked it. It also cut the lonliness of being around the house alone all the time. She was glad that she could spend time with her daughter and realized that her birthday was about a month away. She'd had to ask her if she wanted a party or a quiet celebration. It would be an important one. She was pulled from her thoughts by a tiny thumping on the stairs.

"Hi Sweetie did you have a good nap?" Amelia nodded and went to the bathroom. When she came out she climbed up to the table for some juice. Callie gave her some and served up dinner. She let it cool a bit before giving it to Amelia, who dug right in, while making several comments about how much she loved chicken.

While they ate, Callie told her that she had cleaned out her closet and that they were going to go to the store and look at coats and stuff for the winter and then maybe go to Grandma and Grandpa's house after dinner. Amelia was very happy with this prospect. She liked going to Grandma's house because Spike's mom usually gave her treats and things that Callie wouldn't give her all the time at home.

"Mommy, I learned a new word today in school. I learned Mulpication." Callie raised an eyebrow. She was sure that she meant Multiplication. She smiled and cheered for her. Amelia was growing by leaps and bounds. She had the occasional night terror, where she woke up petrified. When that would happen, she would make her way into Callie's room and climb into bed with her, but all little kids had them.

"Mommy, Where's Pita? How come he doesn't have to eat too? Doesn't he like carrots?" She looked so outraged that Callie couldn't help but laugh. She gave herself another helping of Fish before answering her. Amelia was very close to Spike, which Callie was very glad for. They often sat talking for hours while Callie either did homework or fixed dinner. It was definitely a sight to see.

"Pita is working with Team One tonight. He's on a call right now, so we can't call him, but he will be home before you go to bed. I promise. I know he wants to say your prayers with you." That was another thing that Callie was grateful for. Spike and Amelia had their own bedtime ritual. Callie would read her a story before Bed, and say prayers with her and Spike would come in to say her prayers with her as well.

After dinner, Callie washed up the dishes real fast and put a plate of food in the oven for Spike. She left a note on the table just in case he came straight home and then got her shoes on. Callie was sitting there tying her shoes slowly and Callie marveled at her trying to do it herself. When she was finished, Callie put her jacket on her, picked up her purse and the keys and off they went to the mall.

When they got there, They made their way to Penny's. Callie loved shopping with Amelia. It was very quick. Inside of a half hour, she had picked out a coat for the winter, along with matching Mittens, Hat and boots. Amelia was not the typical girl. She detested the color pink. Her favorite color was Lime Green. They compromised and got a Dark Green coat. Getting underwear was no problem. Getting Sweaters was.

"Mommy. I said I don't want sweaters. I want hoodies." Callie nodded absently and continued to look at the sweaters. They were having a sale on the kids sweaters. Five sweaters for twenty dollars. Callie wanted Amelia to help her choose colors, but she was being contrary. She decided to pick out colors that she herself liked. If Amelia didn't like it, tough. She pulled a red one off of the rack and looked at it.

"Mommy, Can we go now please? I want to go see Grandma Latta. Pretty Please?" Callie looked at Amelia, who was standing there, playing with her shoes. Callie shook her head. Amelia huffed and pouted. Callie picked her up and set her in the cart. She got down to her level and looked at her. She frowned and looked right back.

"Amelia. We need to pick you out some sweaters. You don't have any and you will be cold if you don't have any. We also have to get new Jammies. Pita told me that we have to get these things tonight. Now please help me out with colors you like. The sooner we get done, the sooner you can go see Grandma Latta. If we don't get this done, you are going home and going to bed." Amelia sighed and nodded.

Callie, with Amelia's help, picked out 10 sweaters in Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Black and Orange. She also picked out one in White, Grey and Brown. When they were done looking at the sweaters, they moved on to the Pants and got that done quickly. Then they moved on to the Sleepware. Amelia was partial to frogs and they found two different sets of pj's with frogs on them.

After Callie paid for everything, she put the clothes and Amelia in the SUV. Just as She was about to get in the car, She heard someone call her name. She turned to look for who called out and came face to face with Mr. Sanchez. She picked up her phone and Dialed 911 without saying a single word to him. She locked herself in the the SUV and made sure Amelia's door was locked and that she was belted in.

"911 Emergency Operator. What is your emergency?" Callie tried to calm her voice but she found herself near hysterical. She didn't care what happened to her, but he wouldn't touch one hair on Amelia's head.

"My name is Callie Scarlatti, I am at the Westwood Mall. I was just approached by a man whom I had arrested for Repeated sexual abuse and rape of myself when I was younger. He has kidnapped me in the past as well. He is supposed to be in Jail. I don't know what to do. I have my daughter with me. Right now he is not doing anything. We are locked in my SUV." The Operator came back on the line.

"We are sending the police to your location. Please flip your hazards on so they knew where to find you. Stay on the line with me. If he makes any threatening moves please let me know." Callie replied and turned to look at Amelia. She was silently crying. She turned to her and held out her stuffed teddy bear.

"It's ok Amelia. Mommy's on the phone with someone who can help. We will be out of here soon and we will go home and have some juice and popcorn with Pita before going to Bed. How's that sound sweetie?" Something made Callie look up. She had gotten in the backseat with Amelia and was holding her out of her seat. She saw the gun as Sanchez raised it She pushed Amelia down onto the floor.

"Amelia honey, Mommy dropped something on the floor could you get down on the floor and look for it for me please? Um, 911? The man has just raised a gun and is pointing it at us. Oh SHIT! DOWN AMELIA ADDISON! NOW!" Callie dropped her phone in an effort to cover Amelia's little body with hers. There were several gunshots.

After a few moments, Callie heard the squeal of tires and then a thump as he hit her car and then squealing again as he drove away. Callie got up slowly. She checked to see the front windshield was shattered, the other windows were shattered as well. She could see the Red and blue lights of the police cars coming. She sat up.

"Amelia honey, That man is gone, here, let me hold you. Are you alright sweetie?" Amelia had gone completely silent. She clung to her mother and clutched the teddy bear. She was crying, but otherwise making no movements. She could see the cops getting out. One hung back, presumably to call for more backup, the other approached the SUV.

"Ma'am, are you alright, is the little girl alright? Did you see which way the guy went?" Callie shook her head and let the officer help her out of the vehicle. Amelia wouldn't let go of her. Callie didn't blame her. The young officer took his jacket and draped it over Callie's shoulders and rubbed Amelia's head. Callie looked up at him.

"Thank you. Could you please do me a small favor and call Michaelangelo Scarlatti of the Strategic Response Unit? He should be just about getting off shift. He's my father. I want him to come get us please." The officer nodded and flipped open his phone. As he talked, The paramedics came over to check them out. Amelia was fine just fussy, Callie required stitches for a cut on the arm.

"Callie! Amelia! Are you two alright? Please tell me you are ok!" Spike flew over immediately to their side along with Greg, the rest of the team helped out where they could. Callie handed Amelia to Greg, who willingly took her and engaged her in conversation. Amelia was still crying a little but seemed to be calming down.

Callie walked away to the front of the car. She had to get away from Amelia. She didn't want her to see her have a meltdown or cry. She dropped to her knees and closed her eyes, crying. Spike knelt beside her and just held her tightly, letting her cry. After a few minutes, she leaned against Spike.

"At least Amelia is safe. That is all that matters. I can handle it if something would have happened to me, But Amelia is my life Dad. Why is Sanchez out of Jail? Does anyone know?" Spike nodded his head. Sam now had Amelia and Greg was coming over. Callie hugged him. Spike turned back to her.

"He was supposed to be in jail but got let go because of overcrowding. We didn't find out until about 20 minutes before I got the call about you. Otherwise I would have told you to stay home. Come on. Let's get you to the hospital to get that stitched and give you both another going over. Are you done with your meltdown?" Callie nodded and walked back with him.


	35. Chapter 35

Author's Note:

SORRY SORRY SORRY for being a bad updater... I was working at a camp this summer and had limited breaks and I just had no real time to brainstorm or up date anything. Had no access to the internet most of the summer. But I am back now. Thank you so much for your patience!

Anytime You need a Friend:

Chapter 35

A couple days later, Callie went back to School. Amelia had gone back the day before. She had gone in and spoken with the school about the encounter with Mr. Sanchez and warned her teacher that Amelia might talk about it a little bit. She had given them a picture of the man and they promised to keep an eye out for him and let the rest of the staff know to call the police immediately if he was seen.

Callie wasn't too worried about Sanchez trying to snatch Amelia from the school. The school had a great security system, great protective measures. It was one of the reasons why Callie had chosen that particular school for Amelia. She was afraid of when she was out and about with Amelia, that Sanchez would get too close again. She couldn't risk that. She had a Restraining Order against him, but he'd proven repeatedly that he didn't care.

That is what had Callie scared more than anything. That the man had shown that he really didn't care about the restraining order. He had been in her house, up close to her, he had shot at her, tried to hurt her daughter. That, in her book, was unforgivable. He lost his right to walk freely when he tried to hurt her daughter. She didn't even care about her own safety. Just her daughter. He could come after her. But not her daughter.

Callie was now driving to and from School, usually with Clark, instead of walking after having gotten a new vehicle. the SUV was not going to be drivable for some time. She knew that people were following her to and from School and that police presence was stepped up around the school as well as the headstart. After going to the hospital that night, she had required 15 stitches to close the cut on her arm.

After School, Callie was driving to headstart to pick up Amelia. She had planned on going to the store. She wanted to try her hand at baking some cookies and needed to pick up some items for dinner as well. She was making Spaghetti. Amelia had a newfound fascination with noodles, asking for them all the time. Callie decided tonight that she would make them. She was getting good at making Spaghetti.

"So Callie, Do you think Spike could possibly watch Amelia for you so you can go out tonight? After all, it is Friday. I ask this because you haven't had a night out in awhile and I want to take you to dinner. You know, just the two of us. I miss hanging out with you." Clark smiled at her and patted her knee. She shrugged and braked for a stoplight before looking over at Clark who was sitting there with a pout.

"Maybe, I don't really know. I will ask him when I drop off his snack after picking up the pest. She's been wanting to go back there anyway, so I figured I would take her. Dad's being a pain as well asking me to bring this food or that food to him. It drives me nuts. But I love him anyway. Are you coming in with me or staying in here?" They got out and walked into the School. She smelled trouble before she saw it.

"Now boys and girls, It is important to remember that if you are approached by a stranger, you do 3 things. Number 1. Stay away from them. If you get too close they can pick you up and carry you off. Number 2. Run away. If approached by a stranger run somewhere safe and tell an adult that you trust. Who can give me examples of where to run to?" Callie poked her head in and saw Ed and Spike talking to the kids.

"I think that we can relax for now. Our dads are in there talking to the kids about Stranger Danger. You know something? I kinda like having a father who is in law enforcement. Makes me feel safe. I'm going to text Dad and tell him we are going to the store and to keep Amelia til we come back. Kill two birds, one stone. Let's go." After texting him, they took off for the store to get done as quickly as possibly.

After a few minutes, they were on their way to the store. Callie had a list and they were in and out within 20 minutes. When they got back, Ed and Spike were still talking to the kids and the parents were gathering to listen. Some were murmuring how they needed to talk with their children. Callie smiled and she and Clark took a spot near the door. Spike looked up, saw her and nodded at her. She smiled back.

After they were done talking to the kids, Spike and Ed handed out little baggies with coloring pages and a couple peices of candy and a couple booklets on safety. After that, Spike had to promise that he would come back and show them how to make small explosions using fire crackers. The teacher dismissed the kids and they all swarmed over to their parents. Some of the kids swarmed over Ed and Spike.

Callie walked up to them and stood to the side a little while they chatted with parents, asking about workshops on how to talk to their kids. Amelia ran up to her and threw her arms around her. Callie swung her up and settled her on her hip. She laid her head on her shoulder and sighed before hugging Callie around the neck tightly. She bounced her for a moment, kissing her head, before looking at her father.

"Hi Dad. Nice of you and uncle Ed to talk to them about strangers. I already went to the store. I'm going to go home and get some baking done before dropping by the station with Dinner. Would you be able to watch Amelia tonight? Clark wants to take me out to dinner, but I think we will probably just go for coffee instead." Spike nodded and held out his hands for Amelia, who shook her head and started to cry.

"What's wrong Sweetie?" Callie bounced her lightly. Amelia shook her head and just leaned towards Ed, who took her without batting an eyelash, cradling her against his chest, holding her secure. Callie nodded and sought out the teacher. She waited for a moment before approaching her. When she had a spare moment, Callie touched her on the sleeve to get her attention. She glanced back at Amelia, to see her asleep against Spike's shoulder.

"Hi Callie, What can I do for you today? Amelia had a great day today. She mentioned that man a couple times, and said that he was a jerk. But that was it. She refused to take her nap at naptime, She actually preferred to spend her nap time in a time out and crying, but I see that she is asleep with your father." Callie nodded and looked at her daughter again before looking back at the teacher.

"I figured that was why she being whiny. I'm taking her home for a nap. I wanted to make sure that she was ok. I know I am over protective, but the run in with my adopted father left me feeling scared and a little paranoid. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate it. I need to go. I will see you tomorrow morning when I drop her off." Callie walked back to Spike and offered to take Amelia from him. He shook his head and walked outside.

"I'm supposed to be going over to Sam's to help him install a new security system tonight. I completely forgot. I'm going to see if Wordy and Shelly mind having another little girl underfoot. I highly doubt that it will matter to them. I think that Amelia would like being around them. Is that ok with you? I know you want to go out tonight with Clark, but I want to make sure you are ok with her going over to Wordy's house." Callie nodded.

"That's fine Dad. You know that. You didn't even have to ask. I want Amelia exposed to everyone that you work with as much as possible and their families. I'm sure that she will have aton of fun. Clark and I probably won't be very late. Probably back by 11pm. Thank you Dad. However, we are going back home to take a nap. She didn't take her nap at naptime and was very whiny and cranky apparently." Spike nodded and put Amelia in her booster seat. He kissed Callie and took off for the truck when Ed Yelled that they had a call.

Callie dropped Clark off and drove back to their house. She took Amelia in first, set her down on her bed and pulled the covers up over her before heading down to get the groceries. She put the stuff away, locked the door, set the security system and went upstairs to check on Amelia. She was snoring lightly, clutching her teddy bear. Callie smiled and went upstairs to take a quick shower and wash her hair before starting her homework.

Shortly after she sat down to do her homework, she heard a thump upstairs. It sounded like Amelia had gotten up. She looked up and saw Amelia scooting down the steps on her butt. She climbed up on the chair next to Callie and looked at her. Callie got her a glass of juice and watched her thirstily drink the entire glass in one swallow. She raised an eyebrow at her and smiled when she set the glass down.

"Amelia? Are you feeling alright? That's the fastest I have ever seen you drink a glass of juice." She reached over and felt Amelia's forehead. It was a little warm. She went into the bathroom and got the thermometer. She put it in her mouth and waited until it beeped. Taking it out, she looked at the temp that it said. 103 even. She was no expert but she decided that Amelia was sick. She decided to ask a few questions before panicking.

"Honey, are you feeling ok? does your throat hurt? What about your tummy?" Amelia shrugged and nodded. She pulled on her ears as well and started crying again. Callie picked her up and as she did, Amelia puked all over her shirt and started crying harder. Callie changed her shirt, picked Amelia up and headed into the bathroom. She instructed her to lean over the potty if she felt like she was going to be sick again and dialed Sophie.

"Hi Sophie. Listen I have a problem. I think Amelia is sick, she just puked all over me, her stomach and throat hurt according to her, Her ears hurt and Her temperature is 103 even I think. I don't know what to do. Can you help me?" Sophie said she would there in a few minutes and hung up. Callie threw her sweater in the wash and let it go while keeping an eye on Amelia, who was standing in the bathroom.

"Uh oh mommy." she leaned in the door to look at Amelia. She was standing there with a funny look on her face. Callie heard Sophie call out that she was there and yelled back that they were in the bathroom.

"Uh oh? What o? Amelia, What's wrong Sweetie?" Amelia rolled her eyes at her and huffed. Under other circumstances, Callie would have found it funny. But Amelia wasn't feeling well and she looked really uncomfortable. She knelt down in front of Amelia who was holding her pants away from her butt.

"Mommy, I think I went poo. My butt feels funny." Callie closed her eyes. She could smell it. No mistaking that smell, Ever. She put her in the tub and told her to stay there. She turned to see Sophie standing in the doorway.

"Sophie. My daughter has really stinky Diarrhea. She's thrown up twice and hurts. Should I bathe her? I hate asking you, but I'm new at this."Sophie nodded and walked into the bathroom behind her. She sat down on the toilet and leaned over to look at Amelia, who looked back at her with a very pathetic expression.

"Hi Amelia. Looks like you got yourself a problem. What's wrong?" Amelia sat down in the tub and started crying. Callie Sighed and took her out of the tub and took her pants off and drew some bath water. After she was done running the water, she placed her in it and proceeded to clean her off, with Amelia fussing and carrying on the whole time. Finally she was done and lifted her out of the tub.

"Mommy, I don't feel good. Can I go back to bed. When will Pita be home? I want Pita. Please?" She started crying harder and Callie looked at Sophie at a loss as to what to say. Sophie shook her head a little, Callie nodded and rummaged in the closet for a towel.

"What do I do Sophie? Should I take her to the hospital?" Sophie scratched her head.

"It could be the ordinary Flu. If you are concerned, I would take her to the hospital. It might be nothing, but better safe than sorry. No reason you should feel inadequate. Make sure you have a bucket or something that she can puke in if she needs to." Callie nodded and wrapped Amelia in a dry towel and carried her up to her room, Sophie walked behind.

After a few minutes, of getting something on her to wear and getting her situated in the car, Sophie said her goodbyes and drove off back to her house. Callie drove to the hospital, while Amelia dozed in the backseat clutching her tebby bear. While she drove, her phone rang. She debated letting it ring but saw it was Spike.

"Hey Dad, I can't really talk right now- I'm driving Amelia to the hospital. She's throwing up and has terrible diarrhea. She also had a temperature of 103, and I am concerned. She was asking for you. No, I don't need you to come to the hospital. You can if you want." She hung up and set the phone on the seat next to her.

"Mommy? Can I have something to drink? I'm really thirsty." Callie looked in the mirror at Amelia. She smiled at her.

"I'm taking you to see the doctor. Why don't we wait until we see what he says and whether you can have something. When he does, we will celebrate with some noodles and juice ok? How's your tummy feeling? Still funny?" Amelia nodded and closed her eyes again. Callie drove on to the hospital.


	36. Chapter 36

Author's Note: I have no excuse for not updating. Other than pure laziness. I'm sorry. Please don't throw rotten food stuffs at me! It will be slow going updating for a short while. But I WILL be updating.

Anytime You Need a Friend:

Chapter 36

A couple weeks later, Amelia was back in school. She had a really bad respiratory infection that kept her in the hospital for a week. Callie rarely left her side. When she was released from the hospital, she was stuck at home for another week. Callie hadn't wanted to leave her but she had school. Spike stayed with her when he could, and His parents helped as well. Callie was glad that the Winter break started that day.

When she was done with School that day, She had decided before even leaving the parking lot, to stop at the local Panera's coffee shop and get something to eat and drink. She also wanted to see about an application. She wanted to get a job, even though she knew that would spread her too thin with her other responsibilities. She didn't have as much time to herself as she used to, but she needed something.

She had scaled way back on her after school activities after bringing Amelia home. She had kept the Martial arts Club at School for awhile, before transfering to a private dojo to continue her training. She often felt as if she were years, decades ahead of her classmates. But that only strengthened her resolve to keep training and finding other ways and opportunities to provide a better life for Amelia and herself.

She drove over to the Station after getting the stuff to go, knowing that Amelia had at least a couple 3 hours left in her day. She wanted to see what Everyone was up to, and also to see if there was something she could do or pick up for the station Christmas Party. It was coming up in just a couple days. The teams families were invited as well as the guys. When she got there, The trucks were gone.

That meant that the team either had a call, or they were on patrol. She mentally prayed that they all came home safely and walked in, She decided to stop and visit with Winnie, if there was a chance that they were on patrol and not on a call. She missed talking to Winnie. They had had alot of chats earlier on when she first started hanging around Spike about alot of things. That's how she had come to know alot about Spike

"Hey Winnie! How are you doing today? You got your hair cut. It looks nice! How's the shift going so far?" Winnie acknowledged her with a shake of the head, indicating that she was working on something important. She waited a moment, thinking that it was minor, Winnie shoved a peice of paper at her, with the words, 'Hot Call' scribbled on it. Callie nodded and waved bye, leaving without another word.

She decided to go to the park across from the preschool, and do some reading while waiting for Amelia. It wasn't really too cold yet. She knew that she had at least a week before it got really brutal out. It was december and she was still in a hoodie and hat. It had been a mild autumn so far. She had a test in a couple days, she wanted to review the material. She didn't think that she needed to, it was an easy class.

While sitting there, her phone rang. She picked it up without looking at the ID that came up. She figured that it could be Spike calling to see what she had wanted since she had stopped at the station, so in her thinking, there was no reason to look. She also entertained the brief thought that it could be the school calling about Amelia. She should have looked first. She put a marker in her book as she answered the phone.

"Hello, it's your dime, so talk to me. I am all ears. Unless you are a bill collector, In which case you have reached a wrong number. Pick your poison." She quipped. The voice that answered her was not her father's. Now Callie was really wishing that she would have looked at the caller ID first before answering her phone. She mentally cursed her stupidity while debating whether to hang up.

"Hi honey. How are you? How was School today? How's Clark? I dropped by the school today to see you, but the office wouldn't let me in. I don't understand why. I'm your father. You should really switch schools." She sat straight up and looked around to see if he was nearby. She didn't see him, but that didn't mean he was not hiding somewhere nearby waiting to pounce on her again.

"You should not be calling me Sanchez. How did you get this number? I changed it after the last time we crossed paths. You're not my father, you are a sorry excuse for a peice of shit." She heard him laugh. It made her skin crawl. She would never forget that laugh for as long as she lived. Not even after he died. She packed up her books into her bag quickly intending to get in the Truck and head back to the station.

"I'm your father. It would seem to make sense for me to have my daughter's number. The guy at the phone company was very helpful. He was also very sympathetic to my plight. He looked up your number for me, as well as that asshole that took you from me." Callie had gotten in the car, locked herself in and started driving back to the Station. She would stay there and call the school to keep Callie, or have a police officer pick her up.

"You are not my father. You are just someone that adopted me when I was a baby, so you could have a kid. While I am glad that I didn't have to stay in some stupid group home, I wish the people at the agency had known what pigs you and your wife are. They would have prevented you from adopting me or any other kids. Now, what the hell do you want." She asked flatly, feinging interest. He got nasty with her.

"I want my other daughter. I am most definitely her father. She belongs with me. Not with her little whore of a mother. You know actually you could have prevented her from being born. I want to see her from more than a distance of 500 feet. I have a right to know her as well." Callie pulled the truck to a stop and hurried into the station. She saw the trucks were back. She flagged down Ed, who was the only person she saw besides Winnie.

"I'm sorry. She's not your daughter. Rapists have no rights to children. The school knows about you Sanchez, They know about the restraining order and know that you are not allowed near her. Do you really think that they will let you near my daughter?" Ed quickly wrote stuff down and went to gather the rest of the team. Callie kept her cool, putting him on Speaker, so everyone could hear what he was saying.

"Yes well, You would have to prove that I actually raped you and that it wasn't consensual for the police to actually get off their doughnut eating asses and actually do something. But then you can't prove that, and I have a whole list of people who would testify on my behalf that you fucked them willingly. So don't play that fucking game with me." His voice changed slightly, Callie almost didn't pick up on it.

"She's beautiful. I especially love the yellow sweater that she's wearing. I can see that you don't put her hair up in pigtails either. I like her hair down. Her hair is getting long as well." Ed walked out of the room for several minutes. Spike held her hand tightly, as she tried hard not to lash out at him. Ed came back a few minutes later and wrote something on a peice of paper. He held it up so Callie could read it.

'I Called the School. Told them Sanchez was sniffing around and could see Amelia. They are going to take the kids inside and keep Amelia until one of us shows up with you. Cops are going to patrol the area.' Callie nodded and blew him a kiss. Ed nodded and continued to listen silently. Callie rolled her eyes at the phone and looked up at Spike, while making a rude gesture and rolling her eyes again.

"Well. The fact remains. She's my daughter. You aren't going to lay one hand on her. You will not get to know her. I tire of this phone call. I am hanging up on your stupid ass now. Do not call me again. We have nothing more to say to each other. I will keep changing my number if I have to. Idiot." Callie disconnected the call and dropped the phone on the table. No one spoke. She took a deep breath.

"I'm not going early to pick her up. She doesn't need her routine disrupted. She really likes School and half the time, she doesn't even want to come home with me when it IS time to go. Sam, if there is no hot call, will you go with me? Amelia has been asking for you. Apparently you are her new favorite person. I think she just likes you for your cat." Sam nodded. Callie sat down and looked at Spike.

"SO! Other than a random phone call from a complete jackass, how was YOUR day dad?" She asked him sarcastically before laughing. They chatted for a few minutes. Callie decided to hang around the station until she left to pick up Amelia. She had every reason to believe that she was safe. The school had good security. She was pulled from her thoughts and musings when her phone rang again.

"Hello? This is Callie. May I ask who's calling please." She sounded very wary. No one could really blame her. Spike put some sweet and sour chicken and Lo Mein on a plate for Callie, who absently picked up a peice of chicken and nibbled it after dipping it in the sauce. Spike rubbed her shoulders softly, while she relaxed against him. She patted his hand while smiling at him briefly.

"Ms. Scarlatti? This is Mrs. Adams, Amelia's teacher. She is very upset and crying for you to come get her. She's making herself upset to the point that she's in the nurse's office and throwing up. She's begging to go home. Would you be able to pick her up early today? I don't think she's going to calm down. She is scared because of the man that Ed Lane called about. She saw him." Callie closed her eyes.

"Yeah. I will be right there. I will have an officer with me. Be there in about 10 minutes. Thank you for calling me. Tell Amelia to lay there and rest." She hung up and grabbed her purse and keys. She motioned to Sam, who nodded and followed her out. He climbed in the passenger seat and belted in waiting for her to start the truck. She put the truck in gear and pulled out of the parking lot.

At first, she was silent while driving. Suddenly, she pounded the steering wheel in frustration. Sam just looked at her out of the corner of his eye, not saying anything at first. He knew why she was upset. She didn't need him to say it out loud. That was like asking what a bread box was. Callie sighed and took a sip of her coffee, before grimacing at the cold taste. She tapped the wheel a moment.

"I don't care if he terrifies me. I can handle it. He crossed a line by terrifying my daughter. Honestly, for the very first time in my life, I think I am actually capable of murder." Sam looked at her a moment without saying a word. He knew that she wouldn't kill Sanchez, but she like, everyone had their breaking point. He patted her hand. Callie drove down the road silently, The school was only about 15 minutes from the stations.

When they got there, Sam walked with Callie into the school. Sam had left his gear in the truck so as not to scare anyone unecessarily, only wearing his sidearm. Callie stopped in the front office to let them know she was there and why. The secretary nodded sympathetically and raised an eyebrow in admiration at Sam, who seemed completely oblivious to her curiousity. She tore her eyes away from Sam to slide a clipboard over to Callie.

"Poor thing has been in there just crying away. Talking about how she doesn't want to go with anyone. How no one can make her. How she will not be moved. She started to calm down a little bit when the nurse told her that you were on your way. She said that she wants to go see Pita, uncles Bald, Sammy, Kevin, Greg and Aunt Ju. Which one are you Sir?" Sam finally looked over at her and smiled. He held out his hand.

"I would be Uncle Sammy. Sam Braddock. Police Strategic Response Unit. It's a pleasure to meet you. So what can you tell me about the intruder? I understand that you were outside when he was spotted." The Secretary smiled and made small talk with him while Callie walked into the nurses office to see Amelia sitting there coloring quietly. She looked up and jumped into Callie's waiting arms. She hugged her and wiggled to get down.

"Mommy! I can walk!" She nodded and held her hand as they walked back to Sam. She saw Sam and ook off, launching herself at him. He held out his arms and caught her without looking away from the Secretary. She kissed his cheek and laid her cheek on his shoulder before sighing. All was right once more in her little world. Her mommy was here, Uncle Sammy was here. That bad man was gone. That reminded her.

"Uncle Sammy? That man gave me something. He said I had to give it to Mommy." Sammy set her down and knelt in front of her. She held out an envelope with something scrawled on it. Sam put a pair of gloves on and took it from her before placing it in a plastic bag he had in his pocket. He smiled at her and praised her. He would give it to Greg to take care of. After he put it away, he looked at Amelia.

"Well how about we get you back to the station? There are alot of people that would like to see you, and I think that uncle Greg would like to ask you a question. Is that alright with you miss Amelia?" Amelia nodded and jumped up and down chanting 'Pita' over and over. Sam rolled his eyes and joined Callie at the doorway and walked out to the truck, chattering with Amelia about his cat, and when she could see him again.


	37. Chapter 37

Anytime You need a Friend:

Chapter 37

A couple months went by and found Callie studying for her finals. It was the end of the year. She only had two weeks to go before she graduated from high school. In spite of being bogged down with caring for Amelia and helping around the house, and having to deal with a psycho adoptive father, she hadn't let her grades slip even once. She was proud of that fact. Equally proud that she had somehow managed to maintain her sanity.

She was excited to have nearly made it to Graduation. She had enrolled in and was accepted to Toronto University. She had gone to the college, spoken with the Administrator and gotten an exemption to the freshmen living on campus rule because she had a little girl that she was the sole caregiver for. She would commute. While she was there, she had signed up for her classes, and bought her books.

Now she just had to wait until the fall semester started to be able to go to classes. She was excited but at the same time, sad. She felt that she'd had to grow up way to fast with everything that had happened to her in her life. She also felt that she'd not had a chance to have a real childhood. But truth be told, she was ok with the way her life turned out to be. She had a birth father who loved her.

She stopped in the middle of writing a paper to think about it for a moment. She also had a family who, though they were not all blood related, She considered the team a part of her family. they all adored her and would lay down their lives for her to keep her safe and sound. She wouldn't have it any other way though. She shook her head at some silly thought and resumed typing up her paper for her english class.

She also had a daughter, who at the moment, was playing in her room and could be heard giggling. Spike was working a late shift and wouldn't be home for awhile. She glanced at her watch and saw it was time to make dinner. She walked down the hall to Amelia's room. What she saw made her pause and smile. Amelia was curled up on the floor, on a blanket with her teddy bear clutched tightly to her chest.

Sebastian, the puppy that she and Spike had bought for them all but mainly Amelia glanced up from where he kept watch over Amelia. He wagged his tail and whined a little, but otherwise didn't move. Callie went downstairs and started dinner. She knew that if Amelia woke up, she'd come downstairs for juice. She opened the cookbook randomly and decided to make citrus chicken and Rice with Broccoli. She had just put the chicken in when the phone rang. 

"Hey Dad, How's it going?" Callie didn't answer her phone anymore without first checking the caller ID. She didn't want to have to end up speaking to Sanchez again. She put the phone on speaker and got the rice out and a pan for it. It sounded like Spike was on patrol with Wordy. She was pulled from her musings when Spike started talking to her. At the same time however, Callie could hear Amelia coming down the stairs.

Callie could hear the clicking of claws as well, telling her that Sebastian was right behind Amelia. She wasn't surprised that Sebastian stuck to Amelia like glue She tried, at 5, to be Sebastians sole caregiver. She tried to give him water, and once tried to give him food. The only times they were separated were whe Amelia was at school, and when she was eating. Spike's voice broke her concentration.

"Callie, We are on our way over to the house. Sanchez was released from jail again. We don't think that he's going to try anything, but we want to do a sweep. We also have a patrol that will be going by every hour as well. How's Amelia?" Amelia heard Spike on Callie's phone and started to yell. Callie hushed her and answered Spike. She knew that Spike would be there in a couple minutes, and reassured him.

"That's ok Dad, the doors and windows are all locked. The security system is on. Sophie was actually going to bring Izzy and Clark over and we were going to have a game night. I was going to invite Shelly and the girls as well. Amelia says hi if you can't hear her." They talked for a few more minutes until they pulled in the driveway. Amelia got a glass of juice and sat at the table while Sebastian ran to the door barking and growling as Spike opened it.

Spike came in with his gear on and his gun in it's holster. Amelia ran to him and stopped when she saw the gun. She ran back to Callie and hid behind her. Spike looked at Callie, who shrugged. Spike set his gun on the table and held his hands out to Amelia who shook her head and got up to the table. Spike shrugged, holstered his gun again and hugged Callie. Wordy came in from having done a quick sweep of the property.

"Hey Callie. Hi Amelia. Property looks good Spike." Callie took the chicken out of the oven and made the rice while cooking the Broccoli. She set the table and handed Amelia the silverware to place. Amelia took her job seriously, concentrating on getting it just so. Spike watched amused. He was curious about why Amelia wouldn't come to him, but figured she didn't like guns and put it out of his mind.

"Callie, Do you happen to have enough for two extra people? We're going to eat here, if not, we can find something ourselves." Callie nodded and set out two more places and silverware. When the food was ready, Callie set it down and served Amelia and then herself. She cut up Amelia's chicken, and got her a glass of milk. Spike and Wordy served themselves and dug in. Callie was nibbling a peice of broccoli when Amelia looked at her curiously.

"Mommy? Uncle Wordy's not eating his broccoli!" Wordy looked at her and stuck his tongue out a little. Amelia giggled and stuck hers out as well. Callie cleared her throat and looked at Amelia who was trying to push the Broccoli bowl towards him. Wordy was trying not to laugh. Spike watched amused, because he knew that Wordy hated Broccoli with a passion. Callie moved the bowl and looked at Amelia.

"Amelia, What have I told you about tattling? No one likes a tattle tale. Uncle Wordy is old enough to decide if he wants to eat Broccoli or not. You have to stop tattling on people. No one likes their faults being pointed out. Certainly not by a little girl. " Amelia pouted because she still had to eat her broccoli and Wordy didn't. Oh well, She liked Broccoli, his loss. She smiled at Callie and held her hand out.

"Then, can I have his broccoli mommy? After I finish my chicken?" Callie nodded absently and turned her attention to Spike who was sitting there drinking a glass of water. He shook his head at her silent question, he didn't want to discuss things with Amelia in earshot. She nodded and finished her chicken. After a few minutes, Amelia pushed her plate away and announced she was done. She wiped her hands on her napkin and went off the bathroom.

"Dad what's going on? You don't normally not discuss that man in front of Amelia. I don't want to hide things from her. I want her to be aware of the danger he poses." Spike nodded. Callie was a little more than concerned. Amelia came out and walked over to Spike. Spike had put his gun away in the other room and she happily climbed up in his lap. Spike held her close and just breathed in her child-like scent.

"Dad, seriously, what is up? You're starting to scare me just a little bit. What the hell is going on?" Spike raised an eyebrow at her and shifted Amelia around a little on his lap, Sebastian had snuck a little bit closer to the table. He hated giving bad news, but it had to be given. Callie poured him and Wordy coffee. Spike withdrew his notebook that he sometimes doodled in. He took a small sip of coffee and looked at Callie.

"Before he was let out of jail, Sanchez told his lawyer he wanted custody of Amelia. He said that he wanted to know her. He was going to file for custody in the morning. His attorney contacted our attorney, Seth, and told him that there was something about the way that Sanchez was acting. He didn't think that Sanchez had any intention of waiting until morning to file the papers. His attorney said that he was concerned that he might try to actually kidnap Amelia."

Callie pressed her lips together. It wouldn't happen. She would kill Sanchez before he touched her daughter. He was rapist. Who's to say that he wouldn't make Amelia take Callie's place. Callie wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even her worst enemy. She would defend her daughter until her dying breath. Tomorrow she was going to have a will drawn up. She hoped that she wouldn't need it, but she wanted to make sure Sanchez didn't get Amelia.

"He can try, but he won't get very far. I am having a will made up tomorrow. I doubt that there will be any need for it Dad, But I want to make darn sure that there will be NO question as to who would be raising Amelia in the event of my passing." Spike nodded and Wordy motioned to his watch, silently telling Spike that they had to get back to work. Spike nodded and they left, just as Sophie, Shelly and the kids got there.

Callie wasn't paying too much attention to the girls since they were playing in the living room, having brought some toys down from Amelia's playroom. She poured coffee for Shelly and Sophie. Clark got a can of pop out of the fridge. Callie wanted Amelia where she could actually keep an eye on her. While the girls played, Callie told the others what Spike had told her. She tried hard to keep it together, but Clark saw right through her act.

"Callie, It's understandable that you would be upset. You are a mother, Mothers get extremely fierce when protecting their young. You should have seen mom when I was having an issue with a teacher a few years ago. Talk about angry. She was livid." Callie nodded absently. She hated not being able to tell him or anyone else what she was thinking. But she figured, the less they knew, the better.

"Callie Honey, why don't you pack a bag for you and Amelia and come stay at our house tonight? I know that the girls would love to have Amelia come play with them, make a pillow fort, and I wouldn't mind the company either. The team is working all night and well, it gets lonely sometimes. There have been nights that I've had a friend, or even Sophie come over when they've worked late. Sometimes it makes it easier to go to sleep."

Callie had to think about that for a moment. It was a tempting suggestion that Shelly made. Spike would be working all night, and it DID get lonely at times. Before she got Amelia back, Spike had only worked an overight shift a handful of times. She would usually go over to her grandparents, but they were on an exteded trip in Italy. She smiled at the thought. Going to Shelly's seemed like a fantastic idea.

Suddenly Sebastian walked towards the door and started barking frantically. Clark went to check on the door, and reported back that it was Spike, Wordy and his dad. Callie was mildly concerned that something must have happened on the job for them to be here so early, but she was willing to wait until they explained. It could be that another team took over for them. Sebastian growled as they opened the door and then trotted back to Amelia and the girls.

A few minutes later, Spike, Ed, and Wordy walked in. They were let go early. Callie relaxed a little bit. They spent a little time talking and conversing back and forth. After a couple hours, everyone started going their separate ways. Callie went to tell Amelia it was time for bed, and found her fast asleep. She took her up and just put her in bed, not bothering to put her pjs on or give her a bath.

When she was done, she wet downstairs to find Spike washing the dishes for her. She silently cleaned off the table and took Sebastian out for his evening pee and sniffing fest. When she was done, his ran up the stairs to Amelia's room. Callie was fine with him sleeping in Amelia's room, Usually whe she went to check on her in the morning, he was usually sleeping IN the bed with her. At least that meant that she was safe.

After Spike was done washing the dishes, he went upstairs to tell Callie that he was going to bed. He found her in Amelia's room saying a prayer over her. He smiled and knocked to let her know he was there. She nodded and finished her prayer. When she finished she went to her room and spike gave Amelia a kiss and said a short prayer. When he finished, he went to Callie's room. He knew she had to be upset.

When he got there, Callie was sitting at her desk, writing. He hadn't made much time for her in the past couple months. He knocked and walked in. She smiled at him and put what she had been working on away. Spike sat down and waited for her to join him on the couch. When she did, he pulled a blanket over them. She had a frown on her face. He poked her in the side drawing a squeak from her.

"Callie, can you please tell me what you are thinking about this new development. I know you have to be hurting. Let me help. We are going to try and keep Sanchez away from Amelia at all costs. You both have a restraining order against him. He voilates, he's going down." Callie shrugged and then looked at him. Spike could see the raw pain in her eyes. His heart broke for her. She sat up and faced him. What she said made Spike's heart grow cold and stop.

"Dad. I am telling you now that if Sanchez tries to break into this house or if he tries to take Amelia, I will kill him. There are no two ways around it. He will die. Don't ask me to not defend myself or my daughter. I can't not do it. You can ask of me anything but not that."


	38. Chapter 38

Anytime You need a Friend:

Chapter 38

After she said that, Spike was only a little bit concerned. He looked at her for a moment and then shrugged it off. He just figured that she was talking big, trying to prove to him that she wasn't scared. He made a mental note to mention it to Greg the next day at work anyway just to be safe. He turned the alarm on and followed Callie up to Amelia's room, to kiss her good night before going to his room.

The next morning, Spike arose to find Callie still in bed sleeping, and Amelia's bed empty. He hurried down the stairs to hear her talking to Sebastian. He peeked around the corner, to make sure that Amelia wasn't in any danger. She wasn't, She had gotten her sippy cup of juice out of the fridge and sat on the floor. He sat on the stairs, out of sight, to see what he could pick up from Amelia. What he heard, hurt his heart.

"You know, I think mommy is sad. She doesn't go out anymore. She did a few times, before we got you, but now, she doesn't. I miss Clark. When he came over, mommy used to smile alot. Now, it's like she doesn't care to see him anymore. Mommy yelled at Pita last night. They didn't know that I was listening." She continued to sit there patting Sebastian and drinking juice before falling asleep in the dining room.

Spike waited until he was sure she was asleep and picked her up and put her on the Couch. He covered her with a blanket and took Sebastian out before making some breakfast. While he cooked, He thought about what Amelia had said. He had the day off from work and hadn't spent any real time with Amelia for a few days, so he decided that Callie could go out and do whatever she wanted. Spike was taking Amelia over to Wordy's, and then to the store.

A few minutes later, Callie came downstairs and into the kitchen. She was on the phone with someone. Spike secretly hoped that it was Clark. It turned out to be a girl that Callie was friends with. They were making plans for a girls day out and she was making sure that it would be ok to be Amelia. Spike set a plate on the table for each of them and went to get Amelia. He came back without her as she was still sleeping.

"Thanks for making Breakfast Dad. Did Amelia eat yet?" They discussed Amelia for a few minutes while eating. Callie explained the phone call and how excited she was to hang out with her friend after making sure Spike didn't mind. Spike had just taken a big bite of his pancakes and was about to tell her about taking Amelia to Wordy's when Amelia screamed suddenly and Sebastian barked.

"Amelia? What's the matter honey? SShh, It's going to be ok. Tell me what's going on." Amelia shook her head violently and moved away from them both. Spike reached for her and she started crying and smacking at his hands. Spike backed off a little and Callie reached for her and held her in her lap until she calmed down a little. Sebastain had come closer and was trying to lick her face.

After a few minutes Amelia wiggled to get down. Callie kept her on her lap and turned her to face her. Amelia sniffled and heaved a great sigh. She looked at Spike and reached for him. Spike shook his head and moved back. Callie made her sit up and look at her. Callie was actually a little concerned with this new development. Finally Amelia rubbed her eyes and looked at Callie. She put her head on Callie's chest and sighed.

"Amelia honey. You need to tell Mommy and Pita what's wrong. I don't know how I can help you if you don't tell us. Did something scare you in your dream?" Amelia nodded. She Wiggled to sit down on the couch. Callie let her and watched. Amelia picked up her sippy cup and turned it over. It was empty. She handed it to Spike for a refill, walked over to the couch and looked at Callie again.

"You yelled at Pita. I heard you yelling." She started hitting Callie and Spike grabbed her to move her. He stood her up. She scowled at Spike and squirmed trying to get out of his grasp. Callie was about to swat her butt when Spike looked at her and shook his head. He would take care of it. Amelia hauled off and socked Spike right in the cheek. Callie could see that Spike was slowly counting to 10.

"Amelia Addison Scarlatti. You know better than to hit. That is not the way we solve problems in this house. You know that." with that he turned her around and swatted her across the butt once.

Amelia screamed and started crying. Spike held her across his knees and moved his knees from side to side, while patting her back. She kept screaming. Callie watched flabbergasted as to what to do to stop her screaming.

After a couple minutes, Amelia stopped screaming and lay there breathing raggedly. Spike picked her up and cradled her to his chest. She pushed at his chest to get down and went to the far side of the room and pouted. Spike shook his head tiredly and went back to his breakfast. Callie motioned to Amelia. She needed to eat. After a few minutes, Spike called out that he had made Amelia eggs and toast.

She silently climbed into her seat and started eating her eggs. She sipped her water and finished her food. She also ignored Spike. Callie knew that it was because Spike had spanked her but hey, she knew better than to hit. She nudged Spike with her foot and silently nodded her head at Amelia. Spike Smiled. He knew she was ignoring him. He wiped his mouth and looked at Amelia, who was biting her toast.

"Amelia. Look at me please." She didn't acknowledge him at first. Callie made her decision to stay out of it. Spike could very well handle Amelia and her bratty attitude. She was tempted to spanked her herself, Spike had merely beaten her to it. Spike raised an eyebrow and tried a second time, and Amelia scowled but looked at him, not wanting a repeat of earlier. When he had Amelia's attention, he continued.

"I understand that you are angry with me for spanking you, but you know what you did was wrong right? You don't hit people. Mommy and I were only trying to figure out why you screamed. How about if you and I spend the day together and go to the store and do a little shopping while Mommy goes out with her friend. That way you and I can hang and we can talk. Is that ok with you?" Amelia nodded and announced that she was done with Breakfast.

After she had raced up the stairs with Sebastian right behind her, Spike looked at Callie and apologized. Callie held up her hand signaling that it was fine. They finished their breakfast listening for Amelia. After a few minutes, she came down the steps slowly. Callie figured that she needed help and got up. She turned to find Amelia completely dressed and carrying her socks and a hairbrush.

After a few minutes, Amelia managed to get her hair in a really sloppy ponytail and put her socks on. Spike redid her hair quickly and watched her run off into the other room. Just then, Callie's phone rang. She didn't answer it, as it came up unknown name and number. When it rag again almost immediately, Spike excused himself to take a shower and get dressed. Callie nodded absently. When he had left, she answered the phone.

A week later, as anticipated, Callie received notification from a lawyer that his client, Mr Sanchez had filed in court for immediate and sole custody of one Amelia Addison Scarlatti. Callie called Seth immediately and set up an appointment. She wasn't too worried, but she started taking a lot more precautions than were normal with Amelia around. She used to let Amelia play outside by her for short periods of time. Now anytime that Amelia was outside she was outside.

Two days after Callie received the notification in the mail, She returned to the house with Amelia after a day of grocery shopping. Amelia was singing some nonsense song in the backseat and Callie was tapping along on the steering wheel. When she pulled into the driveway, The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she glanced around. Nothing looked out of place, and that's what had her nervous.

She locked the doors again, backed down the drive and picked up the phone. She wanted to call her father. It was probably nothing, and she was probably being paranoid, but honestly, who could blame her? She had an adoptive father out there who seemed bent on killing her and taking her daughter, and an adoptive mother who was equally interested in taking her daughter. Some called it paranoia, Callie called it forearmed.

"Hey Callie. Your dad is in a meeting right now with Commander Holleran- so I am answering his phone. How are you doing? How's the little bug?" Sam settled in for a chat. If she didn't want to talk on Spike's phone, she'd call him back on his. Callie continued to back down the drive. She'd take Amelia to her grandparents house. They would be ok there. Sam grew concerned when Callie didn't answer him back.

"Sam. You ever go somewhere and everything's in it's place, everything seems normal but there's something that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up on end? I just pulled in the drive. Something's not quite right. I'm taking Amelia to grandma and grandpa's house. I don't know- Something's off." Sam stopped doodling on paper and Hailed Greg who was walking by. He stopped and Sam put her on speaker.

"Callie- This is Greg. Are you sure something's not right or is it you are just scared?" He hated to ask the question, he really did, but he wanted to be sure. He heard Callie's intake of breath and knew she was pissed. He braced for impact, which came swiftly. He didn't really blame her for being upset. He heard a door slam. Callie had pulled into her gradparents driveway and had gotten Amelia out of her car seat.

"Greg. I know when something's not right. And I know when something just scares me. I will talk to you another time. Don't worry about it- It probably IS my imagination running away with me. Now, if you will excuse me, I am dropping my daughter off at grandma's house and then going back to the house to make sure. I will call you then or ot at all. I understand you have to make sure it's not a wild goose chase and I am sorry to have bothered you."

She hung up, marched into the house, explained the situation to her grandma, said bye to Amelia and promised to stop for a snack before coming back over. When she had done that, she got in the truck and drove off back to her house. When she got there, the first thing she noticed, was that the planter where they kept the spare key was smashed. The door was not opened, and common sense told her to contact Greg like she had said.

She called Greg as she entered the house. She knew full well that Sanchez had to be in the house somewhere. She had had it for the last time. No answer on Greg's phone. She left a quick message and hung up. When she got to the dining room, there was simple sheet of Paper on the table that wasn't there when she had left that morning after Spike. She picked it up, as it was addressed to her and opened it.

'Calita. No more games. Meet me. we'll end this once and for all. You know the place. Don't be late.' She knew it was from Sanchez. She quickly went to her room and Amelia's, Found Sebastian locked in the bathroom. After a few minutes, she went to Spike's room, grabbed what she needed and left, getting in the truck and heading to where, at the end of the day, someone was going to die, and it could very well be her.

A couple hours later, Spike and Jules came by the house on Patrol, and decided to stop as Spike had to pee anyway. When they got out, Spike noticed the Planter. They walked in, calling for Callie, and only found Sebastian roaming about. They did a quick sweep of the house and Jules called from Spike's room, when he got in there, he noticed the open nightstand drawer. He closed his eyes. He called Greg.

"Boss, I'm at my house, Callie's gone. I found a note on the table that has to be from that prick Sanchez, and Jules and I just swept the house, my nightstand drawer is open and my other service revolver is missing. Boss, I think Callie took my gun, and I think she's on the hunt for Sanchez. I think she intends to kill him."


	39. Chapter 39

Anytime You need a Friend:

Chapter 39

Spike sat on the couch dumbfounded. He knew that Amelia was safe, for he had picked up the phone, called his mother and had told her to keep Amelia for awhile. He didn't want to worry his mother, so he didn't go into detail. Just said that Callie was out doing something and that she would be back to get Amelia sometime the next day. His mother was fine with that and Amelia wanted to talk to him before she hung up. Amelia had discovered the phone and loved talking.

"Pita! Hi Pita Hi!" She said while giggling. Spike smiled when he heard her voice. He hated to ask Amelia if she knew anything, but the kid was honest to a fault. She might know something about where Callie went. He could heard her drinking something and knew automatically that it was juice. He forced himself to remain calm and listened to her tell him about her day. She was in trouble with her teacher because she punched a boy because he flipped up her skirt.

Spike had laughed when she said that, because she said it very matter of fact like Callie would have said it. Amelia was definitely a fighter, and stubborn like her mother. He only hoped that he could find Callie. While he talked to Amelia, Jules swept the house again with Sam, Eddie and Wordy. Greg was listening to Spike's side of the conversation, hoping to glean information that could help them.

"Amelia Honey, Do you know where mommy went? Because it is very important that I talk to her. She has something that might be bad for her, and she doesn't realize it. Before I go look for her, I'm going to bring Sebastian over for you to play with, ok?" Amelia answered him that Mommy dropped her off at Grandma's and said she would be back eventually. She said that Mommy was upset and asked if it was because of Clark.

After a few minutes more on the phone, Spike was conviniced that they would have work fast and hard to find Callie before she did something that she would regret and would spend the rest of her life in jail for, or worse. He knew what SRU was capable of. He knew that they shot to kill. They didn't second guess. He didn't want Callie to be killed. He had to find her before she pulled the trigger and killed someone.

"Spike? I think I found something, Check this out." Sam had found a peice of paper under the table and handed it to Spike. It was the note that Sanchez had left for Callie. Spike was estatic, This was the break they had been looking for. He knew exactly where they were heading and relayed it to the team. He heard Greg relay the information to Team 3 and closed his eyes in sadness. He had a feeling he would have to be a bystander today.

He was her father, He and the team were too close to this, So he had a feeling that Team 3 was going to have to negotiate with her. He wanted to be the one that she talked to. But he couldn't break protocol. Greg had merely put his hand on his shoulder in sympathy and then went outside to call the negotiator on Team 3 to tell him what he could. Greg had seniority and could overrule team 3, but felt that he too, was too close to this.

Spike sat down heavily in a chair. He almost didn't want to go with the team. He didn't want to witness another death of a loved one again. Lew's death had been hard enough. However he got himself together and prepared himself mentally, because that's what he did. No matter who it was, he had to remain as detached as possible. Even at the expense of ignoring the fact that it was his daughter and not some stranger.

'God. Callie's been through so much. This can't be the way it ends for her. I trust in you and in your plans for our lives, but God please, bring my daughter home tonight. Let us get to her before she changes her destiny. He was about to head out the door with the rest of the team, whe his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. It was Callie. He hoped that she was calling to say that she was on her way home.

"Callie. Where are you honey? I'm worried about you." Callie sighed into the phone. This was not going to be an easy call to make. She didn't want him to come to the call. She knew that there were only two ways out. Surrender or death. She wasn't particularly fond of dying. Not when she had a little girl to raise. But she was tired of the constant threat Sanchez posed. She went to talk to him. That was it.

Yes, she had Spike's gun. Purely for protection. After all, she knew how to handle the gun, was a registered gun owner. So she wasn't breaking any of those laws. The law sure as hell wasn't handling Sanchez. She'd gone to the cops several times, all that got her was her ass beat hard by Mr. Sanchez, before he would raped her repeatedly for the next 2 or 3 hours, and a few sessions on the couch with some shrink that was just as fucked up as they were. No.

She was beginning to see that unless she dealt with him herself, he was always going to be coming after them, posing a threat to her daughter. This is what any mother would do to protect her children. She was tired of Sanchez being able to worm him way out of charges. She was distracted by hearing Spike talk to Sam. She hoped that Spike didn't give the phone to Sam. She would really hate to have to hang up on him.

"Heya Callie. Looks like you have yourself a problem here." It figures. He gave the phone to Sam. Callie rolled her eyes. She heard the sirens getting closer and saw the Trucks pull in and park. She glanced back over at the room that Sanchez was locked in. NOW might be a good time to set the record straight before any bullets started to fly. She knew that Sam might actually listen to her, she could only hope.

"Sam. What a surprise. You know, my father is so predictable. I knew that he would hand the phone to you in an effort to get me to stop this, course, I am on. Just so we are both clear, Sam. I have not harmed Sanchez. He's not even in the same room. I have not shot him, nor am I going to unless he tries to attack me. But seeing as I have tied him up in the other room, I don't see this happening." She paused a moment.

"My intent is very clear. I want him to admit what he has done. The rapes, the stalking, the terrorizing of my daughter. All of it. I want him to go to jail. I am sick and tired of the law not protecting me. The only time it protected me AT ALL is when I tried to kill myself the day I met Spike. You guys believed me and arrested him. But no one will put him in Jail. I don't get it. What more proof do people need to throw his ass in JAIL?!"

She sat down on the stool that was in the room and watched as team 3 took up their positions. She knew it was a matter of time before they tried to call her to get her to come out. She could hear Sam's garbled voice talking to someone on his end of the call and listened intently. She knew that he was telling them everything that was going on. Let him. She honestly didn't care anymore. As far as she was concerned, it was a good day to die.

"Callie. Why don't you just give yourself up, They won't shoot you or anything. They will listen to you. You say that you have not shot him, and that's good. But what you are doing now, holding him prisoner, that's kidnapping. You CAN go to jail for that. If you resist and refuse to let him go, they will shoot you if they feel Sanchez is threatened. It's fucked up, I know. I get it. I don't blame you for wanting your life back. But this isn't the way."

"Sam. He has shit here in this room, detailing a plan to break into my home. To kidnap my daughter. He even has a plan to do away with me. To kill me Sam. DOES THIS MEAN NOTHING TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE?!" She huffed and ran her hand through her hair. She couldn't believe this. She wanted to give Sam the benefit of the doubt, but honestly, she was tired of looking over her shoulder all the time.

She had cut off her relationship with Clark because she didn't want him to be hurt because of her. She didn't want her father to be hurt by Sanchez, She just wanted Sanchez to go away. She heard the faint sound of car doors slamming. She figured that they were on their way to this site. well good. The more the merrier. She didn't care anymore. Her phone beeped, signaling another call coming through.

"Hello? You have reached Callie. Leave me a message." She quipped. She knew that whoever was calling would know she was live and it wasn't the voicemail. At least, she hoped so. She didn't think people were that stupid, but who knew anymore. She heard Sanchez banging on the door and absently wondered how he had gotten free. She decided to check in a moment. Right now, she wanted to give her full attention to Troy.

"Callie. This is Troy. How are you?" Callie smirked. She figured that Troy would call her. She had actually been waiting for the call. She also knew how this worked. Spike had taught her well. Troy was the negotiator for Team 3. She didn't mind him. She actually liked Troy. But she had no intention of coming out at that moment. She was pissed and needed SOMEONE to understand that.

"I am just fabulous Troy, How are YOU? How's the wife and kid?" She could heard Troy talking to someone in the background, before hearing a car door slam. She was curious so she peeked out the window. She could see Team one pulling in the lot and she could see her father getting out and going into the command truck. Great. Another complication. Life sure was full of them anymore. She focused back on what Troy was saying.

"Wife and Kid are great. Wife missed talking to you. Callie. Let's end this. You have my word that Sanchez will be arrested. I know that is what you want. Tell you what, What can I do to help this situation end favorably for all of us?" Callie snorted a very unladylike snort. She liked Troy well enough, but honestly, didn't he understand by NOW that she wasn't THAT naive?! She heard Troy Laugh at her snort.

"Troy. I know better than that. I have not harmed him. I want him to admit what he did to me. But you know what bites. Even if he DOES admit it- He won't face any jail. I've been wanting him in Jail for 15 years. Well that hasn't happened either. He has kidnapped me, terrorized me, terrorized my daughter, Raped me repeatedly and STILL seems to think he is above the damned law. I personally am sick of it."

She rubbed her eyes as a suspicious stinging occurred. Tears would NOT do right now. She was through Crying. It was time for action. She paced back and forth a little bit. taking care to keep out of sight of the snipers. Troy tried to calm her down a little, and it worked just a little. She relaxed and settled against the window frame. She really didn't want to kill Sanchez, but damnit he posed a continuing threat to her.

"I thought about outright killing him. I can't. I'm not like him. I can only kidnap his stupid ass and HOPE that he is scared enough to admit what he's done and go to jail. I don't see that happening anytime soon. I am sorry that I am bringing shame to my Father's reputation within the SRU, and I would give ANYTHING for that to not have happened." She was vaguely aware of the sound of a door opening and turned a second too late.

"Finally you little bitch. I have you in my sight. Now I can kill your wretched ass and take possession of my daughter."Callie raised the gun that she was holding, stopping Sanchez in his tracks for a moment. She still gripped the phone in her other hand. She made a split second decision. She took the safety off of the gun and pointed it at him with a steady hand. She could heard Troy telling her to put the gun down.

"You come any closer to me you sonofabitch, I WILL shoot you. You HAVE been warned. Troy, just shut up will you PUH-LEASE!" Sanchez backed off a little bit, but then came closer when her concentration was off. He grabbed Callie around the throat and they scuffled. Callie dropped the gun, and Sachez put a knife against her throat. She could vaguely hear Troy shouting orders. She closed her eyes, She knew this was the end.

"Sierra? You got the shot?" Whoever sierra was answered in the affirmative. Troy closed his eyes and wept as he gave the order. Trying not to feel dirty, having had a hand in possibly killing his frieds daughter. He could hear Spike screaming as he was held back by Wordy and Sam. He said a small prayer and knew it was out of his hands.

"Scorpio. Take the shot."


	40. Chapter 40

Author's note:

YES! I know I am horrible for having not posted this chapter sooner. What can I say in my defense? Work got in the way! Enjoy!

Anytime You need a Friend:

Chapter 40

Spike's legs couldn't hold him up anymore. He was screaming, Begging anyone who would listen not to shoot. He strained against Sam and Wordy's arms that were holding him fast, preventing him from moving. His stomach felt like it was turning violently inside of his body. He dropped to the ground as he started heaving. He didn't want to throw up- It just came out. He was aware of Wordy kneeling next to him, talking soothingly to him.

Wordy could hear over his earpeice that Callie had dropped the gun and was not considered an immediate threat. Wordy was encouraged by this development. It would now only be a matter of time before they were able to get Callie out of there and resolve the issue. He was extremely concerned though by the turn of events. From what he could hear, Callie have gone from the tough, self assured girl that she was, to a meek, quiet, shy girl when she lost the gun.

"Spike, Spike. Relax and calm yourself. Callie is going to be alright. She dropped the gun. She does NOT have the gun anymore. They aren't going to shoot an unarmed woman. Greg's working with Troy, Trying to get Sanchez to let her go. Come on Spike, Talk to me." Spike didn't answer. He just stayed there, hunched over, alternating between dry heaves and actually throwing up. Wordy absently rubbed his back. It did little for the ache.

'Lord, please be with Callie. Let her get out of this mess alive. Please let her go home to her daughter and her father. Please God. Her time here on earth is not done yet. Please, I ask you to spare her. She's been through so very much, having been failed by us so many times, because we couldn't hold Sanchez for anything that he has ever done to her. Please God, let us make that up to her.' Sam prayed as he left Wordy and Spike where Spike had gone down.

Sam had left Spike in Wordy's capable hands as soon as he had gone down. He wanted to see what he could do on the tactial end of things. He knew where he would LIKE to be, but since his team wasn't primary, he had to settle for what he could get. He said a simple silent prayer. He knew that this wasn't looking good for Callie. He knew SRU's policies about hostages and hostage takers. Shoot to kill. Just like in the military.

Nothing was making sense to Spike. He heard Wordy speaking but couldn't comprehend. He just couldn't stop throwing up. He started crying, thinking that he was going to have to raise Amelia by himself. That she was going to grow up without Callie to guide her into being a young woman. He couldn't, WOULDN'T handle that. He could feel his breathing getting more ragged, and started feeling light headed.

He would not pass out. He would NOT. Right now, his sanity depended on him not passing out. If his daughter was going to die, he would remain conscious and hear the shot, and assure himself that everything was done to save her. Spike tried vainly to control his breathing. He knew that this was the end. He knew that Callie might not walk away from this situation, like she had when Sanchez had kidnapped her.

He didn't want to bury his daughter. He hadn't had enough time with her. He wasn't supposed to outlive his daughter. He was vaguely aware of people coming over to him, surrounding him, touching him. He weakly fought against them. He didn't want people telling him that they understood how he was feeling. NO ONE would understand how he was feeling right now and probably never would. He continued to fight against the hands.

Wordy had hailed the paramedics, as he had noticed a faint red tint to some of the vomit coming from Spike. That just wasn't normal for simple throwing up. His friend, his brother was nearing the edge of hysteria and needed calmed. Unfortunately, the only aid that they could give him was in the form of a sedative. Seeing Callie would have been better for him, but she wasn't available to make an appearance.

"N-No. No. Don't TOUCH ME! Stop it!" It was useless to fight against the hands touching him. They were not hurting him, They were gentle but firm. Still, He didn't want anyone taking him away from this situation. He had to watch. Reassure himself. He had to. He renewed his struggles when he felt someone trying to make him stand up. He knew that they wanted him removed from the scene, in case they had to take the kill shot.

He felt someone grab his upper arm in a vise-like grip and felt a small stab of pain. He weakly pulled away from the irritation and felt the same hand hold him still for a moment before helping someone else lower him into a flat position. He immediately felt a weird sensation beginning at his feet and creep slowly upward. He struggled to stay conscious. He was vaguely aware of someone placing a hand on his forehead.

"I gave you a shot of a sedative Spike. Do you understand what I am saying to you Spike? Spike, Spike, don't try to fight it. You need to relax. Calm yourself Spike. Everything is ok." Spike continued to fight a little but his struggling was weaker. After a few more minutes, Spike was completely out. After a few moments, Wordy helped the paramedics lift Spike onto a gurney and strap him to it securely.

"Thanks for all of your help Wordy. I'm just sorry that it had to be this way. It's not going to be easy on Spike. But if he's out, it will make it a little easier to monitor his breathing and vitals. We are standing by in case anyone else needs medical treatment. God Speed and safety for you all. I know Callie is going to need all of the prayers that she can get. I think Greg is waving you over for some reason."

The paramedics wheeled Spike over to the waiting ambulance and put him inside, so they could better monitor his breathing and vitals. After making sure that Spike would be ok, Wordy went over to Greg to see if there was anything that he could do. He wished that he was the one that was able to take the shot. Before he got there, He heard Troy give the order for his team to move in. He quickened his pace.

"Wordy, Sam, Jules, Ed! Follow and back up Troy's team! They are getting ready to move in." Wordy Ran to where his team was set up and moving in. When they busted in after Team 3 and took up positions behind them, What he saw shocked the hell out of him. Sanchez had Callie on the floor, tied up and she wasn't moving. She looked rather bloody. He felt the tension in the room and raised his gun just as everyone else did.

"Mr. Sanchez, Put the gun down. Now!" Troy inched forward a little bit stopping when Sanchez raised the gun. Ed could be seen as primed and ready to shoot at a moments notice. Troy murmured something into his mic and Ed relaxed a lit. Sanchez had not acknowledged them at all. He was scowling down at Callie. He nudged her with his foot. Satisified when she didn't move, He relaxed a little. Suddenly he kicked her in the knee and was rewarded with a sickening crack.

Sam shuddered when he heard that crack. He knew without a doubt that Callie's knee was broken, if not shattered. She was looking at some serious rehab. His attention was drawn to Troy who was starting to talk to Sanchez again. He prayed desperately that Sanchez would raise his gun or shoot at them. Anything to give them a reason to shoot him down like the dog he was. His attention was shifted to Sanchez who acknowledged them finally.

"Beg me." was all he said to them. He smirked at them and turned his attention to Callie who had shifted slightly, letting out a small moan of pain. Then she went still. He cocked the gun and pointed it down at Callie. Looking up at the members of SRU that were in there, he smiled a rather disturbing smile and taunted them, while maintaining his foot on her ribcage. Jules's fingers tightened on the trigger before relaxing.

"Sanchez, I will not beg you to put the gun down. We play by our rules, not yours. If you do not put your gun down and step away from her and surrender, we will shoot you. I don't think she's worth dying over, do you? I personally don't want to have to report your death to your family. So what will it be? Will you surrender or die?" Sanchez looked at Troy and sneered at them all. Suddenly, in the same instant, he turned sad and pulled a picture from him pocket.

"I want my daughter. Amelia. She's my daughter as well you know. I want her back, I want to raise her. Callie is not fit to raise her. She has problems. Did you know that she tried twice to abort Amelia?" Troy rolled his eyes mentally. It was time to end this. He gave the go ahead to a member of his team that was waiting to Rappel in from the roof. He prayed that Callie was still ok. She had moved again, and had gotten kicked in the ribs again for her trouble.

"Troy. I am ready. Waiting for the final go ahead. This is going to be fast, and quick. Everyone ready?" Troy looked at the others. They each gave terse nods. He relaxed. He nodded back and looked back at Sanchez. He was maintaining his attention on Callie. He drew his leg back and prepared to land another blow. Troy gave the go ahead and took cover as the window behind Sanchez exploded.

From there things happened fast. Sanchez fell when the guy had come through the window and his feet connected with his rib cage. The guy pushed him down and put his foot on his back to keep him down, pointing his gun down at him. The rest of the team swarmed in and cuffed him, bringing him to his feet and hustling him out of the room. They could hear him screaming threats and insults at all of them until they heard a thunk and knew that he had "run" into a wall.

Sam and Wordy were kneeling next Callie who had woken and was trying to sit up. Instead, she had rolled into her side and coughed weakly, spewing blood out of her mouth. She started to lose consciousness and Troy screamed for the paramedics. When they got there, the sight was horrible. Callie's knee was at an odd angle, her face was badly bruised, she was bleeding from one ear, and her ribs area were badly bruised.

"Let's go guys, she is a scoop and run. We do not, I repeat, DO NOT have time to treat her here. She needs immediate surgery. Come on Ed, Sam, help us lift her. Keep her steady and get her downstairs. Move! Now!" Sam and Ed hustled her downstairs while the others stayed behind and grabbed up their weapons. They knew that Spike was already at the hospital under sedatives for a short period of time.

When they were done at the scene, they got in their trucks and sped off to the hospital. When they got there, they took up seats in the waiting room, to await word on Callie, who they learned was in surgery. She had coded on the medics in the ambulance twice and both times they got her back. Greg had called Spike's mother and let her know what was going on. She had agreed to keep Amelia for awhile longer and not let on what was wrong.

While they waited, they prayed. The detectives had already come by and talked with them. They had poked around a little, making them think that they were going to bring charges against Callie for going after Sanchez. The team pulled together and told them only what they had witnessed, not what had happened before. The detectives had left after being told by the nurse that there was no way they would be able to talk to Callie that evening.

A few hours later, Their vigil of silence and praying was interrupted by two simultaneous events. The first one was that Spike was wheeled into the waiting room by a nurse who informed the rest of the team that he was ok, just groggy from the sedative and that it would wear off shortly. She warned them about his mental state. He was positive that his daughter was dead. The nurse left it up to Greg to explain.

At the same time that Spike was getting situated in the waiting room, the door opened a second time and a doctor walked in. Everyone tensed up, preparing to hear the worst. That she was gone. The doctor smiled and felt the relief rush through the room. Spike looked at him. Trying to stand, he was held in place by Ed's hands on his shoulders. They all looked at the doctor waiting. He sat in front of Spike.

"She made it through the Surgery. Callie is an amazingly strong young woman. She's in great physical will be in recovery for about an hour and then in a room. She will be here about a week and then barring any complications, we will move from there. I can take you back to see her Spike for a few minutes if you like." Spike nodded and settled back in the chair as the doctor pushed him out of the room.


	41. Chapter 41

Author's note:

Please excuse me for having not updated in two months. I was busy with moving to a different state. But I am back now, and FINALLY got my muse back for this story! Hopefully more updates are coming soon. Please read and review, Leave me pretty reviews they make my day and give me fuel to write!

Anytime you need a friend:

Chapter 41

When the doctor wheeled Spike into the recovery room, Spike was first struck by how pale Callie was laying in the bed. The Doctor told him that he could have as much as time as he needed to take. Spike nodded his thanks and took hold of Callie's hand. After the doctor left, Spike bowed his head and prayed long and hard, thanking God for taking care of her. He was so relieved that she was still safe.

He held onto her hand for dear life, silently monitoring her vitals along with the machines steady beeps. He turned the chair sideways and continued to hold her hand. Callie moved a little, and Spike could see that her leg was in a full leg brace. He was hit with the sudden realization that he had no idea what her injuries were. He could tell that she had some injuries. He got up out of the chair and was about to walk out the door when the doctor walked back in.

"Doctor, What are her injuries? Besides her leg that is. I was rather out of it during the call, so I don't really know what happened." The doctor nodded. He knew that Spike had been given a sedative and moved to the hospital during the hostage situation. He hesitated to tell him what all happened, but then decided that he wouldn't want anyone holding back on him if he had been in Spike's position.

He pulled up a stool that was at the foot of Callie's bed and motioned to the wheelchair. Spike settled back in the wheelchair, leaning slightly forward to hear what the doctor had to say. He knew that she was going to be in the hospital at least a week. That was ok. He was concerned with making sure that Callie and Amelia were both taken care of. He looked over when Callie moaned softly and then was still.

"She has a concussion. From what members of your team told me, she had been kicked repeatedly. We have taped her ribs, where she was kicked a couple times. Her knee was dislocated by a vicious kick to her knee. She had some internal bleeding, which we located and tied off where she was bleeding. Our main concern now is, of course, infection and the concussion." After giving it a moment to sink in, the Doctor Continued.

"She came to briefly and mumbled something about her daughter, so we think she may have amnesia. It's not uncommon for people who have been through the kind of trauma she has been thorough to be confused and make absolute nonsense. When she wakes up, we will be able to test her to see how bad the memory loss and confusion is. Do you understand what I am saying Spike? Callie might not be the" Normal girl" She was before this trauma."

Spike nodded to show he was listening. He stroked Callie's head gently and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. He looked up when the doctor said something about Amelia. He shook his head. This doctor didn't know about Amelia. He fished around in his pocket for his wallet and pulled it out, opening to a picture of Amelia. He smiled at the picture and made a mental note that he had to call his mother.

"No Doctor. She doesn't have amnesia. She DOES have a daughter. Amelia Addison Scarlatti. She's four years old. Here's a picture." He passed the picture over and burst with pride as the doctor appropriately cooed over what a pretty little girl. After a few minutes, the doctor wheeled him out of the room and back to the waiting room, where everyone was still waiting. The only new additions were his mother and Amelia were sitting with them and the detectives were there.

He got up out of the wheelchair and stretched a little before sitting down on on the benches. When he sat down and was situated, Amelia barreled over and climbed up next to him. When she was comfortable, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes leaning over and putting her head on his lap. He smiled down at her and ran his fingers through her curls. He was pulled from his thoughts about how best to help Callie when Greg cleared his throat.

"Hey Spike, How are you feeling? You feeling better?" Spike nodded and wiggled his hand in a so-so manner. He looked around at the rest of the team, mentally noting that the entire team was there. His gaze finally landing on his mother, he held out his arms and hugged her tightly when she bent down to hug him, admonishing him in Italian. He laughed softly at what she said and nodded in affirmation.

He stood up slowly and put a coat under Amelia's head, before walking over to where Greg and Ed were standing in conversation with the detective that he was sure was assigned to the case. He knew the detective and knew from previous interactions that he didn't like him. He also knew that the feeling was very mutual. He tried to refrain from rolling his eyes, as the doctor informed him that it would hurt for a bit.

"Detective Granson, I meant what I said. You cannot question Callie tonight, she just got out of surgery. Spike is not in any real shape to answer your questions either. Now, please leave and let them heal." The detective in question shook his head in the negative and turned when Spike came over. Spike barely looked at him, instead, gave Greg a tight hug, murmuring a thank you. Greg wanted to ask how Callie was but Spike shook his head subtly and he let it drop.

The detective was not as easily distracted or put off. He wanted to question Spike and Callie and by damnit he would. In his opinion, Callie was guilty of kidnapping and attempted murder, and he intended to see that she was arrested and charged for the crimes she had committed. He pulled out his notepad and pen, preparing to write down information. Spike rolled his eyes and gestured to Greg and walked to the far side of the waiting room.

"Spike, Where is Callie at right now. I need to question her, and I need to place her under arrest." Spike gave the detective a nasty look and ignored him. The detective grabbed his arm as Spike Turned away and tried to turn him around to face him. Spike in turn grabbed the detectives wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. Instantly, Ed and Sam were there, backing him up. Spike let go of the detective's arm and pushed him away.

"You have been warned Detective Granson. Callie just got out of surgery and won't be answering any questions tonight. I am in NO MOOD to answer stupid questions tonight either. I suggest that you leave and stop bothering us. Now. Before I have to make you leave." He turned away and rubbed the back of his neck. He was surprised when a little hand tugged on his. He looked down to see Amelia standing next to him. He picked her up and just held her.

"Pita, Where's mommy at? I want her to tuck me in tonight. Gramma says that we have to be going soon. I haven't seen mommy all day and I miss her. I don't want to sleep at Gramma's. I wanna go home." She started to cry a little and Spike sat down and held her close. How was he going to explain to Amelia what happened? She was only 4. How much would she even understand? He turned her to face him.

"Well sweetie. Mommy had an accident earlier today and she hurt her knee really badly. The doctor had to go inside her knee and fix it. She's sleeping right now because the doctor gave her some medicine to sleep so she will feel much better tomorrow. She's not going to be able to tuck you in tonight, but I will tell you what. When I'm done here, I'm taking you back home and I will fix us milk and cookies and tuck you in ok?" Amelia nodded and hugged him.

"You know Spike, this would go a lot smoother if I were able to talk to you and Callie both about this whole mess. When was the last time you saw your mommy kiddo?" Amelia just looked at him. Spike was beyond pissed but he didn't want Amelia to get scared while he was holding her. Amelia held Spike's hand and looked over at her gramma. She looked at the guy who called her kiddo and frowned.

"Mommy and Pita said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers or other weirdos and you look like both." She skipped over to Gramma and Hugged her while chattering with Jules. Spike looked at Ed and Sam and Greg and gestured to the hall. They nodded and Spike grabbed the detective by the upper arm. saying that they would be back in a few minutes, they ducked outside the room and shut the door behind them.

"Look here. I already told you that you aren't talking to Callie and I'm not saying a word either. You have now worn out your welcome. I am asking you nicely to please leave and to stop bothering my family. If I have to I will go to your boss officially and it will find its way into your personell file. I don't think I can make mysef any clearer." Spike walked away and went back into the room. The detective started to follow him in but was held back by Sam.

Ed took up a position in front of the door, preventing him from being able to open the door. He didn't like this guy anymore than anyone else in the room. He didn't like the guy trying to make trouble for his family either. He scowled at the guy when he tried to get in past him. Sam went in search of security to make him leave and after a few minutes, he did finally leave. Sam looked at Ed and just rolled his eyes.

"What an idiot. I alerted security and they are going to send someone up here as soon as they can spare it. In the meantime I guess we hope that detective idiot doesn't came back." Ed nodded and they went back inside. When they did, Spike was in the middle of telling Greg about Callie's injuries. He was really hoping that Callie wouldn't be arrested for the stunt she pulled. Spike fully intended on talking to her when she was awake.

After a little while, The door opened again. Everyone turned to it thinking the doctor had news about Callie. In stepped a regular uniformed police officer and a young woman in a business suit. She carried a briefcase. She looked around at everyone until she spotted Amelia. She nodded at the officer, who came further into the room. Ed's protective nature kicked in immediately. Her wardrobe screamed Children's Services.

"Can We help you Officer? Miss?" Greg, as their Sargeant stepped forward to address the newcomers. The woman came forward and shook Gregs' hand politely. She gestured towards Amelia who was resting on the couch between Jules and Spike's mothers. Spike could tell she was fast asleep. He sat down in a chair wearily to rest since his headache was getting worse. The woman gestured to the officer and then at Amelia.

"Sir, My name is Chloe Dunson. I am with the department of children and family services. I have been ordered to remove the child, one Amelia Addison Scarlatti from her home due to neglect and allegations of abuse by her adopted mother Callesandra Scarlatti. Officer Jenkins is here purely for support and enforcement of the order. Please stand aside and allow us to take the child without interference." The Officer stepped forward and moved to the couch to pick up Amelia.

"Callie hasn't neglected Amelia. Callie just underwent surgery. She's in a medically induced coma after an altercation with her adopted father. Amelia is her biological daughter, not adopted. You are not taking Amelia anywhere." Ed stepped forward scowling at the officer who must have been a rookie, as he was shaking slightly in his boots. Greg put his hand on Ed's shoulder and stepped forward.

"Ms. Dunson, Amelia has not been neglected nor has she been abused. She's been with her grandmother today. Callie is a fine upstanding parent. Amelia is clean and looks well fed. Now, As Eddie has said, Callie is in a medically induced coma after surgery. She's not up to answering any questions tonight. You are not taking Amelia. Her grandfather is sitting right here and is taking her home tonight."Chloe shrugged and gestured to the officer again.

"Pita? Can we go home now please?" Amelia hopped off of the couch and over to Spike. The officer switched directions and grabbed her just as Spike went to pick her up. Amelia immediately screamed and started hitting at the officer. Spike stood up and grabbed Amelia and set her on the chair, telling her to sit there and giving her his phone to play with. When she was occupied, he pushed the officer and the social worker into the hall, followed by Ed, Greg and Sam.

"Ms. Dunson. We are members of the Police Strategic Response Unit. We all outrank this officer. Amelia is not going anywhere with you or this officer. Officer, We will call your supervisor and explain if you like. I understand that you are just trying to do your duty, but you aren't taking her. Now, I think it's best you leave" Spike was beyond pissed. Chloe was just as pissed. She was sent here to remove a child and she aimed to do just that.

"Mr. Scarlatti, I do not care if you are the mayor or some other high ranking official. An allegation has been made. We take them very seriously and we have to remove the child. Officer Jenkins please go get the child, or I will get someone who will."The officer made to go into the waiting room and Ed blocked him. While they were arguing, Greg made a couple calls to learn more about the allegation.

"Ms. Dunson, You can call off the officer. Detective Granson made the allegation and he has admitted it was false. He will be dealt with accordingly. So leave and stop harassing Officer Scarlatti. Spike, Amelia is upset and needs you. Go. You know, You owe them an apology for being so hostile and Upsetting Amelia." Chloe snorted and left in a huff. When Greg went back in, his heart broke. Amelia had become so scared that she'd wet her pants.

Spike picked her up, wrapped her in his sweatshirt and made his excuses to leave. It had been a long day and they were both tired. Wordy offered to drive them home and he stopped at the desk to make sure they had his cell phone number and to request no visitors, not even police until Callie herself could lift the order. While they walked, Spike made plans to visit Detective Granson tomorrow at the station, and it wasn't going to be pretty.


	42. Chapter 42

Author's Note:

Hello everyone... Please excuse the lack of updates. I was busy moving to a different state and then trying to find a job and getting other things in order as well as getting over being horribly sick. Now I can breathe a little better and can FINALLY continue my story.

Anytime you need a Friend:

Chapter 42

_A week later:_

The doctor had decided to keep Callie in a medically induced coma for a few more days to give her more time to heal. Spike was at her side everyday either before or after his shift. He continuously prayed every day as well that the complications were few. He knew that really only time would tell the outcome. His days were becoming rather busy since Callie wasn't able to do most things for Amelia.

In the morning, he got up, took Amelia with him to the station while he worked out, She mostly sat at a table and colored. After he was done working out, he would have Jules give her a quick bath, braid her hair, make sure she got dressed properly and then took her to school, or her work, as she explained it to him one morning and either he or his mother picked her up afterwards.

He had learned the hard way one day, when after handing Amelia some clothes and telling her to go to the potty to change, she hadn't put on her clean underwear, only one sock, The jeans were unbuttoned and the shirt was on inside out and backwards. Jules had stepped in immediately and ushered her back into the locker room and helped her get dressed properly. She was only 4. At least she was mostly self sufficient.

He would fix dinner for her every night that he could, provided he wasn't working the night shift. He took Amelia with him to the store and let her pick out foods that she liked. Greg tried to go easy on him, as he obviously understood the situation. If Spike did have to work the evening shift, his parents would care for Amelia until Spike was done. Amelia was adamant that she stay up until Spike got home.

Spike had found that Amelia was very curious about Spike's work and always wanted to know what he was working on and why she was hardly ever allowed in the basement of the house. Spike stored parts and manuals for bomb making and his spare bomb diffusing tools down there. He kept them in a seperate area of the basement locked in cabinets with industrial locks. He didn't want her to get hurt. He tried to show her a little bit of the more clean side of his job.

He really didn't want her to learn how to make any kind of bomb when she was just a little girl. He would teach her as she got older, like maybe when she was a teenager. He tried to keep Amelia's mind off of Callie, but he didn't hide from her that Callie was sick and in the hospital. They visited her every day that they could. Amelia would insist on coloring her pictures and notes that they hung around the room.

The rest of the team helped out a little bit as well. Shelly offered to have her a couple nights so that Spike could go out and let off a little bit of steam with the team. One more little girl in the house made no difference. Jules took her shopping for a couple of girly outfits. Sam took her to a little zoo for an afternoon. Spike was grateful for their help. He didn't realize that caring for a little child was so difficult and time consuming.

The first day that Amelia went back to school after Callie's accident, he went in and spoke to the teacher and principle about the whole situation. He wanted to make sure they understood what was going on and alert the principal to the fact that Children's services might be poking and nosing around. He didn't want them to be caught unaware. He waited outside the principal's office for his appointment.

"Constable Scarlatti, How nice to see you again. Please come in, Amelia's teacher is waiting for us in my office. What brings you here today?" Spike sat down slowly after shaking hands with both of them. He settled himself into the offered chair and accepted the offer of coffee and danish. He hated that the only times he was ever in a school, he was either bringing gear in to difuse a bomb, or arresting someone.

"Well, by now, you are probably aware of my daughter's unfortunate accident that has left her in the hospital in a medically induced coma. She had a run in with her former Adoptive father, who has made a habit of terrorizing her and trying to kidnap his daughter with Callie, that he raped her in order to conceive. He's currently in jail as far as we know and denied bail. I also wanted to let you know that Children's services may be sniffing around."

The princinple straightened up in his chair and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He hated when Childrens Services came in and acted as though they were the only smart ones on the planet and tried to run his school. He didn't try to tell them how to do their jobs, he didn't appreciate in the least them coming in and telling him how to do his or how to run his school. He focused his attention on what Spike was saying.

"I do not want them taking Amelia off these grounds. If they come to the school and want to speak with her I would like to be notified so that I can sit in. She is at no time to be alone at all with anyone from Childrens Services. Until her mother is able to drive once more and pick her up, Either myself or my mother will pick her up. If both of us are unable to pick her up, I will call you and tell you who will pick her up and what they look like." He took a breath.

"I hope I'm not coming off as demanding or condescending. But in my line of work, it helps sometimes to be a little paranoid. But only a little." The teacher and principle both nodded and they continued with the meeting. They asked how Callie was doing after the surgery, and Spike explained a little bit of the outcome and warned them against telling anyone anything about it. Just as they were wrapping up their meeting, the secretary buzzed in.

"Sir, there is a young woman here by the name of Ms. Dunston from Childrens services. she wishes to speak to you about Amelia Scarlatti. She has asked for a private meeting." The principle rolled his eyes and looked at Spike. He shook his head, He would not be leaving. He pulled out his cell phone and texted Greg to let him know that he'd be a little longer and why. Then he nodded at the principle.

"Alright, Please send her in. My previous meeting is getting ready to leave. I have a few minutes before I have to leave for another meeting." The teacher got up and left to go back to her class just as the door opened and Ms. Dunston came in nearly knocking over the teacher. She pushed past her and sat down in the seat that she had just vacated after shaking hands with the principle.

"Mr. Mikale. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances however. I am here on a matter concerning a student of yours. I've gotten no cooperation from the family of the child in question. I am hoping that you will be able to help me." The principle nodded and motioned for her to continue after offering her coffee. After accepting the coffee, she continued.

"Recently, there was a report filed that a little girl named Amelia Addison Scarlatti who goes to this school, was abandoned by her mother, Callessandra Scarlatti. When I went to where the child was to remove her, I was basically shoved out of the room and told that I could not perform my job. I am trying to look out for the best interests of Amelia and was wondering if you could help me."

Spike shot the principle a "See what I mean" look. The Principle nodded slightly and smiled at the young woman. She was, what he and other educators called, green in the field. The principle could smell it on her. Therefore, he would go a little easy on her. He waved his hand in Spike's direction and smirked when Ms. Dunston saw him. Her face got a little red and she turned back around, ignoring Spike's hand.

"Ms. Dunston. I told you the circumstances surrounding my daughter and Granddaughter. The so called report was filed by a cop with a grudge against me, and was proven to be a malicious lie by him in retaliation for my not speaking to him and withdrawn by him moments after. You were told all of this, yet, you still insist on trying to remove the child from her home, MY home. It is not going to happen."

Chloe continued to ignore him and addressed the principle directly. She handed him a folder with some forms in it. On top was a order, signed by a judge supposedly, that granted Children's services the right to take immediate action to remove Amelia Addison Scarlatti from Spike's custody and take her to the hospital for a full exam by a pediatrician. Spike took the paper when the Principle handed it to him.

"I would like to take her now, and get her to the hospital and placed as soon as possible so that we may begin the adoption process. We've already had several couples that have offered to have her until we can place her permanently. I do not want to have to call the police to enforce this order, but I will if I need to." She sat back in her seat and held her gaze on the principle. Spike was furious on the inside.

"Excuse me for a moment Mr. Mikale, while I step out to make a personal call please." Spike stepped into the hall and dialed Seth while the principle continued to listen to Chloe talk. He knew that Seth would be able to point him in the right direction as to what action to take. He didn't think that the order was legally binding, but he wanted Seth to look at it. Seth answered on the first ring.

"Hey Seth. I have a small situation here. Children's services is here at Amelia's school and trying to remove her. She has an order that is supposedly signed by a judge, giving her the right to just take Amelia. I think it smells funny. Would you mind running over to look at it please, if you aren't busy." He knew that Seth would drop everything to help him out, and he wasn't disappointed.

"Sure thing. Be there in about 10 minutes." He hung up and Spike went back into the principle's office to find Chloe on the phone with the police. Apparently, she didn't appreciate having to wait to be accomodated. Spike rolled his eyes. She was so new at this that she was going to have to get a hard lesson in how to properly do her job. Spike sat down in the chair and addressed the principle.

"My lawyer will be here momentarily to take a look at the order to make sure that it is legally binding. I hope that's alright." The principle nodded and answered his office phone when it rang. Chloe looked put out and irritated. Spike was starting to get just a little bit suspicious. The principle listened for a short period of time before thanking the other person and then hung up. He looked at Spike and motioned to Chloe.

"Ms. Dunston, if you would be so kind as to leave for a few moments. I have to speak with Mr. Scarlatti privately." Chloe remained where she was. Mr. Mikale raised his eyebrows at her and motioned to Spike to follow him. They went outside into the hall to talk quietly, while Ms. Dunston stewed in the office. Spike was curious about the phone call. When they had shut the door, the principle looked at Spike.

"That order is a fake Spike. I just got a phone call from the courthouse. It seems that Ms. Dunston in there is well known in the courthouse. She forged it. I have a friend who knows of the problem. Seems that she is a little too free with her words. The friend put two and two together. I think it's best that you leave Amelia here and go to work. We will take care of her. She won't be leaving with anyone but you or whomever you dictate."

Spike was beyond pissed now. He put in a quick call to the local precinct and arranged for someone to pick up Chloe after he has arrested her. Then he called Seth back and explained. When he was done with that, he went in Cuffed Chloe to her chair and walked out without a word. He was going to work and then come back, pick up Amelia and then they were going to see Callie. With any luck, they were going to wake her up today.


End file.
